Business
Medical inflation slows
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 30, 2009
The Consumer Price Index went up in October, although increases in the costs for medical goods and services are not quite keeping up, according to a report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Nov. 18.
The overall price that consumers pay for goods and services increased 0.3% during October. This was primarily driven by growth in the cost of oil and motor vehicles. Prices for medical care and commodities grew by 0.2%.
The six-month growth in consumer prices was 3.5%, but this number went up only 3.2% for medical care. Within this category, the price for hospital care went up the most, at 5.1%. The cost of professional health services, including those provided by physicians, went up 3.4%.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/30/bibf1130.htm.
