Healthcare spending in the United States reached $4.5 trillion in one recent year. The cost of a hospital stay averaged $2,900, while an uninsured emergency room visit was $2,200. These figures illustrate a system where prices vary dramatically between services and patient circumstances.
Key Takeaways
- Average hospital admission cost in the U.S. was $2,883 per day in 2022.
- Employer-sponsored insurance covered 153 million people in 2022, with average premiums of $23,968 for family coverage.
- Average cost of out-of-pocket expenses for Americans was $1,425 in 2022.
- In 2022, U.S. national health expenditures totaled $4.5 trillion, accounting for 17.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with an increase of 4.1 percent from 2021.
- Average U.S. retail price for a brand-name prescription drug was $568 in 2022.
Healthcare cost statistics show spending is rising, making value based care and prevention more urgent than ever.
Related reading
01 · Category
Hospital and Physician Costs25 stats
01
Average hospital admission cost in the U.S. was $2,883per day in 2022.
02
National average price for a hospital stay was $2,900in 2023 for commercial payers.
03
Emergency department visit average cost was $2,200in 2022 without insurance.
04
Average cost of childbirth in hospital was $13,024in 2022.
05
Physician fees account for 25 percent of hospital revenue, averaging $150per office visit in 2023.
06
MRI scan average cost was $1,325in hospital outpatient settings in 2022.
07
Hip replacement surgery averaged $28,233in 2022.
08
Knee replacement average cost was $34,465in 2022.
09
Appendectomy cost averaged $33,000in 2022.
10
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery averaged $123,000in 2022.
11
Average physician reimbursement for primary care visit was $116under Medicare in 2023.
12
Specialist visit average cost was $342without insurance in 2023.
13
Hospital prices for commercial insurers were 254 percent of Medicare rates in 2022.
14
Average negotiated price for inpatient hospital care was 189 percent of Medicare in 2021.
15
Outpatient hospital prices averaged 264 percent of Medicare rates for commercial payers.
16
U.S. hospital spending per admission is 70 percent higher than OECD average.
17
Average cost of a colonoscopy was $1,250in hospital settings in 2023.
18
Cataract surgery averaged $4,241in 2022.
19
Mammogram average cost was $344in hospital facilities in 2023.
20
PT visit average cost was $125per session in outpatient clinics in 2023.
21
Average commercial price for office visit Level 4 was $194in 2022.
22
Hospital market consolidation led to 11 percent price increase per merger.
23
In 2022, average daily hospital charge was $3,025for Medicare patients.
24
Surgeon fees for appendectomy averaged $5,000in 2022.
25
Anesthesia costs for surgery averaged 10 percent of total procedure cost.
Interpretation
Hospital and Physician Costs Interpretation
These statistics paint a picture of American healthcare where costs can swing wildly from a few hundred dollars for routine screenings to six figures for major surgeries, and where hospitals and insurers often price well above Medicare, turning what should be medical care into a high-stakes pricing puzzle that patients must decode in real time.
03 · Category
Out-of-Pocket and Uninsured Costs20 stats
01
Average cost of out-of-pocket expenses for Americans was $1,425in 2022.
02
23 percent of adults skipped needed care due to cost in 2023.
03
Average deductible for single coverage in employer plans was $1,735in 2023 for HDHPs.
04
Uninsured adults faced average hospital bill of $10,000per admission in 2022.
05
41 percent of adults with employer coverage had OOP maximums over $3,000for family in 2023.
06
Medical debt affected 14 million adults with bills over $1,000 in collections in 2022.
07
Average OOP for prescription drugs was $236annually for commercially insured in 2022.
08
28 percent of insured adults reported difficulty affording OOP costs in 2023.
09
Uninsured rate was 8.4 percent in 2023, affecting 28 million people.
10
Average surprise bill amount was $1,400for emergency care in 2022 before protections.
11
66 percent of bankruptcies involved medical debt in 2022 studies.
12
OOP spending as percent of income was 11 percent for low-income families in 2021.
13
Average dental OOP cost was $400per visit without insurance in 2023.
14
Vision care OOP averaged $200for exam and glasses in 2023.
15
25 percent of adults delayed care due to OOP costs in 2022.
16
Uninsured children had 60 percent higher hospitalization costs per case.
17
Average OOP maximum met was $1,200for families in HDHPs in 2022.
18
Medical debt under $500affected 17 percent of adults in 2022.
19
10 percent of working-age adults owed over $10,000in medical debt.
20
OOP share of total health spending was 10 percent in 2022, totaling $452 billion.
Interpretation
Out-of-Pocket and Uninsured Costs Interpretation
In 2022 and 2023, Americans were paying more out of pocket, skipping care, and still getting hit with steep bills and medical debt, so that by the numbers the “you are insured” promise often turns into a very expensive paperwork problem instead of protection.
04 · Category
Overall Healthcare Expenditures28 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. national health expenditures totaled $4.5 trillion, accounting for 17.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with an increase of 4.1 percent from 2021.
02
U.S. per capita health spending reached $12,914in 2022, a 4.1 percent increase from the previous year, far exceeding other high-income countries.
03
From 2012 to 2022, U.S. health spending growth averaged 4.2 percent annually, driven by increased utilization and prices.
04
In 2021, Medicare spending accounted for 21 percent of total national health expenditures, totaling $829.5 billion.
05
Private health insurance spending grew 5.4 percent to $1.2 trillion in 2022, representing 28 percent of total health spending.
06
Medicaid expenditures reached $824.8 billion in 2022, a 9.7 percent increase, comprising 18 percent of national health spending.
07
Hospital care accounted for 31 percent of total national health spending in 2022, totaling $1.4 trillion.
08
Physician and clinical services made up 20 percent of health spending in 2022, with expenditures of $878.5 billion.
09
Prescription drugs represented 9 percent of national health expenditures in 2022, amounting to $405.5 billion.
10
U.S. health spending as a share of GDP was 16.6 percent in 2019, projected to rise to 19.7 percent by 2028.
11
Between 2000 and 2020, U.S. national health spending grew from $1.4 trillion to $4.1 trillion, a 193 percent increase.
12
In 2023 projections, total U.S. health spending is expected to grow 5.4 percent annually through 2031.
13
Public health spending in the U.S. was 48 percent of total health expenditures in 2021.
14
Administrative costs in the U.S. healthcare system consumed 8 percent of total health spending in 2019, or $496 billion.
15
From 2013 to 2019, U.S. health spending per capita grew 4.3 percent annually, reaching $11,582.
16
Nursing care facilities and continuing care retirement communities spending totaled $204.3 billion in 2022, 5 percent of total.
17
Freestanding mental health and substance abuse facilities spending was $74.3 billion in 2022.
18
Home health care expenditures grew 10.8 percent to $133.5 billion in 2022.
19
U.S. health spending growth slowed to 2.7 percent in 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts.
20
By 2030, national health expenditures are projected to reach $6.8 trillion.
21
In 2018, U.S. health spending was 9.8 percent higher per person than Germany and 50 percent higher than Canada.
22
Other professional services spending increased 4.6 percent to $116.2 billion in 2022.
23
Other personal health care spending was $106.5 billion in 2022.
24
Government administration and net cost of health insurance grew 6.2 percent to $183.3 billion in 2022.
25
Investment spending in healthcare facilities was $124.4 billion in 2022.
26
Public health activity spending rose 38.3 percent to $97.4 billion in 2022 due to COVID response.
27
Research and development spending in health totaled $107.9 billion in 2022.
28
In 2022, U.S. health spending grew faster than GDP for the first time since 2009.
Interpretation
Overall Healthcare Expenditures Interpretation
In 2022, the U.S. spent $4.5 trillion on health care, about 17.3 percent of GDP and growing faster than the economy again, while per person costs hit $12,914, driven by higher prices and use, split largely between Medicare, private insurance, hospitals, and Medicaid, with administration and public health showing that even when care delivery shifts, the bill keeps rising.
05 · Category
Prescription Drug Costs20 stats
01
Average U.S. retail price for a brand-name prescription drug was $568in 2022.
02
Insulin list prices increased 54 percent from 2014 to 2023, averaging $300per month without insurance.
03
Medicare Part D spending on brand-name drugs grew 11 percent to $166 billion in 2022.
04
U.S. prices for Humira were 8 times higher than in Canada in 2022.
05
Generic drug prices in the U.S. fell 5 percent annually from 2017 to 2022.
06
Out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs reached $68 billion in 2022 for commercially insured.
07
Biosimilar penetration for top drugs was only 4 percent in U.S. commercial market in 2023.
08
Medicare spent $37 billion on top 10 Part D drugs in 2022, with Ozempic at $4.6 billion.
09
U.S. pays 2.56 times more for prescription drugs than other high-income countries on average.
10
PBM rebates reduced net spending on brand drugs by 30 percent in commercial market in 2022.
11
EpiPen list price rose from $94in 2007 to $712 in 2022, a 657 percent increase.
12
Specialty drugs accounted for 52 percent of total drug spending despite being 2 percent of prescriptions in 2022.
13
Average generic fill rate was 91 percent in 2022, up from 89 percent in 2021.
14
Net price growth for brand-name drugs was 5.9 percent in 2022 after rebates.
15
Medicare Part B drug spending grew 12 percent to $40 billion in 2022.
16
U.S. insulin prices are 8 times higher than in France and 10 times higher than in Canada.
17
Copays for Tier 3 drugs averaged $85per prescription in employer plans in 2023.
18
28 percent of Americans skipped medications due to cost in 2022.
19
Total U.S. prescription drug spending was $644 billion in 2022.
20
Brand-name drugs made up 79 percent of net spending in 2022 despite 21 percent of prescriptions.
Interpretation
Prescription Drug Costs Interpretation
In 2022, the United States spent $644 billion on prescription drugs while brand names quietly dominated net costs, insulin and lifesaving products kept getting more expensive, and even when prices fell on paper through generics and rebates, many patients still faced $68 billion in out of pocket bills and 28 percent reported skipping care because it cost too much.
Reference
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Healthcare Cost Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/healthcare-cost-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Healthcare Cost Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/healthcare-cost-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Healthcare Cost Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/healthcare-cost-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level