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After a big drop off in health care spending during the early months of the COVID pandemic, health care spending bounced back in 2021, a new report has found. The study from the Health Care Cost Institute looked at data from 2021 and before, and found that although utilization of health care dropped in 2020 to the lowest rate seen in 12 years, it rebounded by 2021.
"In 2021, we see a full rebound in per person health care spending, which was nearly $6,500 (15% higher than in 2020)," the report says. "A 13% increase in utilization from 2020 to 2021 contributed to this growth, following the 7.5% decline in use in 2020. Average prices grew 2% from 2020 to 2021; this lower growth rate than in previous years reflects that the overall mix of care was less expensive in 2021 than in 2020 when many lower cost preventive services were delayed."
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