Archived Insight | October 23, 2019

Health Care Costs by Year: Breaking Down 15 Years of Health Trend Data

The 2020 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey provides a comprehensive look at projected health care costs--but sometimes you want to pull back and take a look at the big picture.

We’ve put together a concise, easy-to-understand series of graphs placing our latest findings in a historical context stretching back 15 years.

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What this data will tell you

Among the historical, year-by-year data we’ve provided in these graphs, you’ll find answers to questions like:

Which facet of health care costs—medical, Rx or dental—has shown the most volatility during the past 15 years?
What’s been the average cost increase for each of those facets during the past five years?
Which type of plan has historically been more expensive for plan sponsors?
How did health plan cost trends change after the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010?

Those are just some of the stories contained in this data, which we pulled from our survey of managed care organizations (MCOs), health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and third-party administrators (TPAs), collectively representing more than 80 percent of the commercially insured and self-insured market.

Download the data that will help you understand the past, present, and future of health care costs.

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This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. You are encouraged to discuss the issues raised here with your legal, tax and other advisors before determining how the issues apply to your specific situations.