14.4% of our state’s economy was devoted to health care
services in 2014, slightly below the US average, according to a new Chartbook
on CT Health Spending. Based on newly released data from CMS actuaries, the
analysis finds that CT health costs per person are not surprisingly high but we
out-perform most other states in controlling the rate of increase, particularly
for Medicaid members. Since 2009, Medicare and Medicaid have been paying more
of CT’s health care bills than private insurance. Over half of CT health
spending is consumed by hospitals and physicians/clinics, but drug costs are
the largest driver of growing health costs. Per person drug costs for CT
residents are the second highest in the nation and rising at the third highest
rate among states.
