Approximately 12% of Americans (some 35 million individuals) are
hospitalized each year.
From an American Medical Association report issued in February 2004:
"Throughout the 20th Century, the distribution of health care
expenditures has been remarkably stable. It has been characterized by
an extreme concentration of annual expenditures within a small
fraction of the population. Throughout the century, only 30% of the
population has accounted for 90% of annual expenditures on health
care. Further, about 12% of Americans are hospitalized each year, but
they spend 40% of health care dollars. Less than one-half of the
non-institutionalized population have one or more chronic conditions,
but they account for 76% of medical care costs. Persons with chronic
conditions account for 69% of hospital admissions and 80% of hospital
days."
American Medical Association: REPORT OF THE COUNCIL ON MEDICAL SERVICE
www.ama-assn.org/ama/upload/mm/372/8.doc
"The 35 million Americans admitted to hospitals each year generally
are receiving fewer days of treatment at much higher charges.
Statistics compiled by the federal government's Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality demonstrate a continuing trend in hospital care."
New Orleans Times-Picayne: Patients see bigger bills, briefer stays
http://www.coastal.uno.edu/coastal/events/tp-10-6-02/index.ssf--newsstory-pricey02.html
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