From 2022 to 2023 alone, per-person spending grew by 6.5% while patient volume remained stagnant. During this period, average prices rose by 6.7%, cementing a five-year pattern that places significant strain on workers and employers alike. Hospital facility fees remain the largest burden, accounting for $3,100 of the total per-person cost.

Prescription drugs emerged as a primary engine of this growth, with gross point-of-sale spending rising by $460 per person over the five-year study period. GLP-1 medications saw the most dramatic shift, with annual gross spending per person jumping from $45 in 2019 to $197 in 2023. While patients paid an average of $923 out-of-pocket in 2023, HCCI president and CEO Katie Martin emphasized that policymakers must prioritize price containment to ensure the long-term sustainability of job-based coverage.