Healthcare Spending Statistics: How Much America Pays to Stay Healthy

Americans know what’s right. Freedom of the press. Equal opportunity for all. Individualism and independence. We are ambitious and idealistic, we are proud, and in our heart of hearts, we believe that helping our fellow man is our moral duty. And yet — the United States is the only wealthy country in the world not to guarantee tax-supported healthcare for all. 

Our country’s healthcare spending tops the charts. We pay our doctors excellent salaries, our hospitals are incredibly well-equipped, and we provide good service to millions. But more than 26 million Americans lack any form of health insurance. Their futures are based on a gamble that they won’t face a catastrophic accident or suffer a long-term illness.

Despite all our money and all our skill, it seems we can’t take care of our own. Compared to other wealthy countries, our infant mortality rates are high, our life expectancy rates are low, and we can’t provide basic care to those in need. So if we’re spending all that money and still failing all those people, where is all the cash going?

Let’s find out. 

Key Healthcare Spending Statistics for 2025 - Editor's Choice

• 56% of large US employers state that the interest in GLP-1 drugs is the primary factor driving health care costs up in 2025.
• Per capita healthcare spending in the US is currently at $15,074.
• $678.54 billion will be spent on pharmaceuticals in the US in 2025.
• Americans aged 65+ amount to 37% of all healthcare spending in 2025.
• Commercial health care spending in the US is the highest it's been in 13 years.

The US will spend $5.3 trillion on healthcare in 2025.

(The Peterson Center on Healthcare)

According to the most recent data, the overall spending by 2032 is now expected to be $2 trillion less than what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projected it would be in 2015.

Commercial healthcare spending in the US is expected to increase by 8.8% in 2025.

(PWC)

This means that the commercial healthcare spending will now be at the highest level in the past 13 years, driven primarily by inflationary pressure.

In 2024, per capita healthcare spending in the US was $15,074.

(Reuters)

On average, that’s how much it costs to keep an American citizen healthy for one year, and represented an increase from $14,423 in 2023.

More than 68 million Americans are covered by Medicare in 2025.

(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Out of those, 50.5% are also enrolled in at least another health plan.

If you get a heart attack, it will cost an average of $24,331 to get treated in a hospital.

(Sidecar Health)

While the average cost varies by state, the latest data from 2025 shows that the costs have gone significantly up in recent years.

66.5% of all bankruptices in the US in 2024 were caused by medical bills.

(World Population Review)

It is estimated that more than half a million Americans file for bankruptcy each year because they are unable to handle their medical debts.

The US spends more on healthcare than any other wealthy nation, and yet it has the lowest life expectancy rate.

(Peter G. Peterson Foundation)

The latest available data confirms that the US also has the second-highest infant mortality rate among the wealthiest nations in the world.

The US will spendd around 17.9% of its GDP on healthcare in 2025.

(KFF)

What's more troubling is that the continous health spending growth is now expected to outpace growth in the overall economy, as it is projected to represent 19.7% of the country's GDP by 2032.

Administrative costs accounted for more than 40% of total healthcare spending in the US in 2024.

(American Hospital Association)

In other countries, the numbers range between 1% and 3%. American doctors report a high level of “administrative burden.” Marking clinical data reports and resolving insurance claims not only takes a lot of time and effort for physicians, but it also costs a lot of money. 

In 2025 alone, $678.54 billion will be spent on pharmaceuticals in the US.

(BioSpace)

Medication is incredibly expensive in America, and a lot of people simply don’t have the funds they need to buy life-saving medicines. The high prices of new and modern drugs are now further increasing the expenses, with the pharmaceutical market expected to grow to over $1 trillion by 2032.

The spending of Americans aged 65+ amounts to 37% of all healthcare spending in 2025.

(CBRE)

Even though they represent 17% of the country's population, the oldest US citizens are spending more and more on health care.

The massive interest in glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) drugs like Ozempic is the biggest factor for increased healthcare spending in 2025.

(Business Group on Health)

The latest report indicates that health care costs in the US will jump by 8% in 2025, and that some 56% of large employers in the US point out to GLP-1 drugs as the primary factor for rising health care costs in 2025.

Healthcare Spending in the Future

Healthcare is a complex subject in the US. While politicians argue over how to approach the problems of rising healthcare prices, average Americans are rationing insulin, selling their cars to pay for last year’s unexpected hospital stay, and arguing about pre-existing conditions with their insurance companies. 

The bottom line is this: We need to find a way to take care of our own. Whether it’s through a better government spending plan, advanced technology that can cut down costs, or something else entirely, our people deserve to have their health protected.