Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In 2010, the U.S. government projected that Americans would spend about $6 trillion dollars on health care, a little over 21% of GDP, in 2024. The actual amount spent was almost $1 trillion less. In fact, health care spending has been below projections almost every year since the early 2010s. In a new BPEA paper, “Has the U.S. bent the health care cost curve?” David Cutler and Lev Klarnet of Harvard University document this historic slowdown in spending, identify causes, and offer insight into whether this slowdown is a permanent adjustment to the trend. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, the authors speak with Richard Frank, director of Brookings’ Center on Health Policy, about their study.
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In 2010, the U.S. government projected that Americans would spend about $6 trillion dollars on health care, a little over 21% of GDP, in 2024. The actual amount spent was almost $1 trillion less. In fact, health care spending has been below projections almost every year since the early 2010s. In a new BPEA paper, “Has the U.S. bent the health care cost curve?” David Cutler and Lev Klarnet of Harvard University document this historic slowdown in spending, identify causes, and offer insight into whether this slowdown is a permanent adjustment to the trend. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, the authors speak with Richard Frank, director of Brookings’ Center on Health Policy, about their study.
Subscribe! youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=BrookingsInstitution
Follow Brookings on social media!
Facebook: Facebook.com/Brookings
Twitter: twitter.com/BrookingsInst
Instagram: Instagram.com/brookingsinst
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/com/company/the-brookings-institution
