Study: 5 percent of Americans responsible for half of health care spending

The Fiscal Times: 5% Of Americans Spend 50% Of Health Care Dollars
A new issue brief from the National Institute of Health Care Management adds grist to the mill of those who rebelled against the universal insurance mandate. The study showed that in 2009 half the population – fully 150 million people – spent an average of just $236 per person on health care. That was a paltry $36 billion for the entire group out of $1.3 trillion in personal health care expenditures.  On the other side of the use spectrum, however, just five percent of the population – about 30 million people – spent a whopping $623 billion or about half of all personal health care expenditures. That came to nearly $41,000 per patient (Goozner, 7/31).