S&P Economic Healthcare Indices detect cost bump in December

S&P Indices last week announced the results of its S&P Economic Healthcare Indices for the year ending December 2011. Across the board, health care costs as measured by annual rates of change went up in the last month of the year. The S&P Healthcare Economic Composite Index indicates that the average per capita cost of health care services covered by commercial insurance and Medicare programs increased by 5.28 percent over the 12-months ending December 2011. This was an increase from the 4.85 percent annual growth rate posted for November 2011.