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| Systematic Review Suggests Government Policy as Key Factor of Rising Health Care Expenditures
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Allen Halterman, CPhT, BS; Jaini Bhavsar, MPharm; Fnu Muskan, MS; Nicole Wright, RDH, BSDH; Sandra Collins, MBA, PhD
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Abstract:
In 2020, there was a noted increase of national health expenditures, specifically a 9.7% increase, which comprises about 19.7% of the Gross Domestic Product in the United States. This trend is expected to continue and it is forecasted that health care costs and expenses may escalate into the trillions in the near future. To identify the most influential factors associated with increased health care expenditures, a systematic review was conducted. The intent of this important research endeavor is to increase the knowledge of current and future health care leaders, for both educational and practical purposes and specifically towards the understanding and development of health care policies intended for controlling the rise in health care expenses. After applying appropriate research guidelines to the initial search for journal articles on this topic, a total of 14 articles were chosen as accessed from three publicly accessible databases. After collecting and analyzing the articles, the following key factors were found to be among the most influential when considering health care expenditures in the United States: (1) technology, (2) government policies, (3) the increased prevalence of chronic diseases, (4) inflation, and (5) pharmaceutical cost and utilization. This systematic review indicates that government policies may be the primary reason for the increase in United States health care expenses, with pervasive chronic diseases as the second most prevalent factor. Based on this review, pharmaceutical cost and utilization were observed to be the least impactful on the rise of health expenditures; whereas, inflation and the growth of new technological advances remained relatively consistent in their impact on national health expenditures. Although limitations of this study exist, this systematic literature review provides an opening dialogue for the need for further research aimed at reducing and controlling health care costs, especially research that provides an in-depth review of how national health expenditures impact equal access to health care services for all individuals.
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