Prescription Drug Costs as a Percentage of National Health Expenditures and as a Percentage of GDP - 1993 to 1998

Year

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

National Health Expenditures (amount in $ billions-rounded off)

1149

1088

1039

993

948

899

837

Per Capita, National Health (amount in $)

4094

3912

3772

3637

3501

3351

3151

Population (in millions)

281

278

276

273

271

268

266

Gross Domestic Product (in $ billions)

8511

8111

7662

7270

6947

6558

6244

Health Care as a percent of GDP

13.5%

13.4%

13.6%

13.7%

13.6%

13.7%

13.4%

Prescription Drugs Cost (in $ billions)

$93.4

$78.9

$69.1

$61.1

$55.2

$50.6

x

Percent Increase Over Preceding Year

18.40%

14.10%

13.20%

10.60%

9.00%

8.70%

x

Prescription Drug Costs as a percentage of National Health Expendiures

8.13%

7.25%

6.65%

6.15%

5.82%

5.63%

x

Prescription Drug Costs as a percentage of GDP

1.10%

0.97%

0.90%

0.84%

0.79%

0.77%

x

Data from 1997 and 1999 Reports of the Health Care Financing Administration, HHS

Data from 1999 Report of Democratic House members on prescription drug costs, page 2