Annual Reports
HCCI’s Health Care Cost and Utilization Reports

Yearly reviews of spending, price and utilization trends for commercially-insured Americans. Learn more about our methodology, definitions, and other resources.

Jul
07

ARM and ASHEcon 2023 Recap: HCCI Staff Research

In June, HCCI staff attended AcademyHealth's Annual Research Meeting (ARM) and ASHEcon. In addition to connecting with other health services researchers, staff presented original research using HCCI's commercial claims dataset. Here's a sampling of HCCI staff presentations:  ASHEcon: Effect of Critical Access Hospital Designation on Inpatient Prices in Employer-Sponsored Insurance Presen...

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Jun
14

The Share of Ozempic Users with Diabetes has Decreased Over Time, Indicating Increased Off-label Use

Ozempic, a relatively new anti-diabetes drug, has been in the headlines because of widespread shortages that are making it difficult for patients who use the drug to manage diabetes to access it. Some news articles suggest that off-label use for weight loss has been a factor associated with increased demand. The active ingredient in Ozempic is semaglutide, which helps regulate insulin product...

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Jun
12

HCCI Data Byte: Unintended effect of federal COVID vaccine policy on claims billing patterns

In HCCI's most recent Health Care Cost and Utilization Report, we observed substantial growth in spending on vaccines among individuals with employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI), which we attributed largely to uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021. Although they may be largely responsible for this trend, federal procurement complicates analyses of COVID-19 vaccines using claims data. Resear...

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Jun
06

Facility Fees and How They Affect Health Care Prices: Policy Explainer

In this brief, we explain the basics of "facility fees," which have been gaining attention at the state and federal levels. We discuss what a facility fee is, why patients might receive a bill for a facility fee for non-hospital services, why there is controversy around these bills, and what policymakers are doing to address them. Download and read the brief below. As described in the br...

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Jun
01

Out-of-Pocket Spending Grew Over 200% among ESI Enrollees Diagnosed with Cancer

Cancer diagnoses can have devastating psychological and financial tolls on patients and their families. Previous research shows that Medicare beneficiaries who are newly diagnosed with cancer experience health care costs that can reach close to a quarter of household income in the year following diagnosis. People with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) may experience even greater financial burden ...

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