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【medical-news】全美医疗健康费用上涨6.1%，花去
美联社报道
WASHINGTON – Health care continued to take up a greater share of the economy in 2007, as spending on hospitals, doctors and other services increased 6.1 percent to $2.2 trillion.
There was a silver lining in the numbers the government reported Monday: The increase in health spending was the smallest since 1998, thanks largely to the growing use of generic drugs.
Officials worry that devoting more resources to health care makes it harder for families to meet other priorities and for businesses to compete internationally.
Overall, health spending came to $7,421 per person for the year.
About 67 percent of medications dispensed in 2007 were generic drugs — up from 63 percent the year before. Generics can cost as little as one-third the price of brand-names.
Several factors helped drive the trend. First, insurers are steering consumers to lower-priced medicines by charging low co-payments for certain drugs. Meanwhile, they charge higher co-payments for medicines they want consumers to avoid for safety and financial reasons.
Large retailers and grocers are enticing consumers into their stores with low-priced generics.
Also, several blockbuster brand-name drugs lost their patent exclusivity in 2006, generating competition. Notable examples include Flonase, an allergy medicine; Zocor, a medicine used to lower cholesterol; and Zoloft, which is used to treat depression.
Federal officials said safety concerns also probably influenced spending on medicine as the Food and Drug Administration issued more of its most serious warnings than in previous years — 68 in 2007 versus 58 the year before and 21 in 2003.
The overall spending slowdown in 2007 came also from a decrease in administrative expenses for the new Medicare drug benefit. When the program kicked in during 2006, it generated a substantial uptick in administrative expenses.
Officials emphasized that the good news about slowing the increasing costs of health care extended only to prescription drugs. All other major health sectors — such as hospitals, physicians, nursing homes and home health — grew at the same rate or slightly faster than the year before.
Since prescription drugs generate only about 10 percent of all health spending, officials question how much longer the transition to generics would dampen the growth in health care costs.
"I wouldn't expect the good news to continue," said Richard Foster, chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Historically, health spending has been somewhat insulated from the effects of a slowing economy, which means health care makes up an even greater share of the overall economy during recessions. In 2007, the health sector's share came to 16.2 percent, up from 16 percent the year before. 本人已认领该文编译，48小时后若未提交译文，请其他战友自由认领。 Nation's health spending rises, but not so much
美国医疗费用上涨，
WASHINGTON – Health care continued to take up a greater share of the economy in 2007, as spending on hospitals, doctors and other services increased 6.1 percent to $2.2 trillion.
华盛顿-医疗卫生费用继续占据2007年国家经济收入的很大份额。医院、医生及其他服务费用增加了6.1%，总费用增至2.2万亿美元.
There was a silver lining in the numbers the government reported Monday: The increase in health spending was the smallest since 1998, thanks largely to the growing use of generic drugs.
在政府星期一的报告中有重要的一点：由于非专利药的大量使用，自1998年以来，医疗卫生费用的增长是最少的。
Officials worry that devoting more resources to health care makes it harder for families to meet other priorities and for businesses to compete internationally.
令官员们担忧的是如果家庭支出中需要增加医疗卫生费用，那么就无法满足其他重要支出，同样影响了国际贸易的竞争。
Overall, health spending came to $7,421 per person for the year.
总体上，每年每人的医疗卫生费用达到7421美元。
About 67 percent of medications dispensed in 2007 were generic drugs — up from 63 percent the year before. Generics can cost as little as one-third the price of brand-names.
2007年67%的医疗用药为非专利药-由之前的63%，非专利药物的价格仅为专利药物的1/3。
Several factors helped drive the trend. First, insurers are steering consumers to lower-priced medicines by charging low co-payments for certain drugs. Meanwhile, they charge higher co-payments for medicines they want consumers to avoid for safety and financial reasons.
其他因素也影响了这一趋势的发展。首先，由于保险公司对特定药物收取更少的附加费用，因而更多的消费者选择低价药物。同时。由于安全和经济因素，保险公司对某些药物收取更高的附加费用。
Large retailers and grocers are enticing consumers into their stores with low-priced generics.
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-02-14 18:24
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