EXPENDITURES
Expenditures on health care for the local area are difficult to estimate because there are multiple agencies with numerous funding sources. Additionally, there is not a clear definition or demarcation as to what is included in health care expenditures. Many of the agencies providing health care services also provide non-health care human services as well.
The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) annually estimates the total national expenditures on health. The HCFA 1998 report on National Health Expenditures states that national health expenditures topped $1.1 trillion, up 5.6 percent from 1997. HCFA estimates that the amount an individual spent on health care increased by $182 to $4,094 (Health Care Financing Administration, September 2000). In the absence of local data, the HCFA estimate on spending per person ($4,094) and the estimated 1998 Travis County population (709,692) can be used to estimate health care expenditures in Travis County. By multiplying the two figures together, it is estimated that $2.9 billion was spent on health care in Travis County.
According to the ACCRA Cost of Living Index, health care costs for residents of the MSA are the second highest expenses paid compared to other cost of living price tags. The Austin area health care costs are almost ten percent higher than the U.S. standard (ACCRA, December 2000).
| *The ACCRA Cost of Living Index measures differences between areas in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures. It measures relative price levels for consumer goods and services in participating areas. The average for a participating place, both metropolitan and non-metropolitan, equals 100, and each participant's index is read as a percentage of the average for all places. For more information, please visit: www.accra.org |
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