Healthcare Cost Drivers Analysis

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Healthcare Cost Drivers

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…
(2015). Towards a comprehensive public health response to population ageing. Lancet, 385(9968), 649-657. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4663973/pdf/nihms-666557.pdf
Bloom, D.E., Chatterji, S., Kowal, P., Lloyd-Sherlock, P., & McKee, M. et al. (2015). Macroeconomic implications of population ageing and selected policy responses. Lancet, 385(9968), 649-657. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4469267/pdf/nihms-666558.pdf
Cox, P., Willis, W.K., & Coustasse, A. (2014). The American epidemic: The U.S. nursing shortage and turnover problem. Marshall Digital Scholar. Retrieved from http://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1125&context=mgmt_faculty
Lacey, T.A., Toossi, M., Dubina, K.S., and Gensler, A.B. (2017). Projections overview and highlights, 2016–26. Monthly Labor Review, October 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2017.29
NAHU. (2018). About NAHU. Retrieved from https://nahu.org/
NAHU. (2015). Healthcare cost drivers white paper. Retrieved from

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