National health expenditures, 1987

Abstract

The 1987 national health expenditure estimates are examined from different perspectives in the following two articles. In the first article, revised expenditure estimates for 1984-87 are presented. A breakdown of the type of services and products purchased is included, as well as the source of funds used to finance health care. In the second article, health care expenditure estimates are used to explore marginal analysis as a policy tool for understanding health spending in relation to our Nation's ability to finance that spending. The concept of marginal analysis is also used to examine selected periods that were relevant to health policy and the timing of public and private changes in health policy in the past.

Figure 1. Percent change in national health expenditures and gross national product, and national health expenditures as a percent of gross national product: 1965-87

Figure 2. The Nation's health dollar: 1987