Introduction to Drivers of Healthcare Costs
An authoritative source on the drivers of healthcare costs is the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), which represents the health insurance coverage needs of employers and individuals (NAHU, 2018). According to the NAHU, the chief healthcare cost drivers in the U.S. include the aging population, pharmaceutical costs, biologics and new technologies, behavioral and lifestyle choices, system inefficiencies, medical malpractice, cost shifting, increased utilization, government regulation, and other market factors (NAHU, 2015).
Of these, the aging population is the driver that the NAHU (2015) identified first and that is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate. Not only are Americans living longer, but the number of people aged 60 and over …show more content…
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