AHRQ Stats: Health Care’s Top Spenders

In 2014, the top 1 percent of people ranked by their health care spending accounted for 23 percent of the nation’s total health care spending. The average amount spent by each of these top health care spenders was $107,208. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #497, Concentration of Health Expenditures in the U.S. Civilian Non-Institutionalized Population, 2014.)

STATISTICAL BRIEF #497:
Concentration of Health Expenditures in the U.S. Civilian

Noninstitutionalized Population, 2014

November 2016

Emily M. Mitchell, PhD

Highlights

In 2014, the top 1 percent of persons ranked by their health care expenditures accounted for 22.8 percent of total health care expenditures, while the bottom 50 percent accounted for only 2.8.
Persons age 65 and older comprised 15.1 percent of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population and accounted for 33.6 percent of total health care expenditures. In contrast, children under age 18 comprised 23.2 percent of the population and 10.2 percent of expenditures.
While 14.4 percent of adults under age 65 were uninsured during 2014, this group accounted for only 5.7 percent of health care expenditures.