Bending The Pharmaceutical Cost Curve

Hot off the press.... Health Affairs published today 2008 CMS national healthcare expenditure data.  Growth in Rx Pharmaceuticals, at least in retail, has slowed to a very tepid 3.2% rate. See chart below.


Overall healthcare expenditure slowed to a 4.4% with some blaming the recession. 

With all this talk about the need for reform to "bend the healthcare cost curve" It seems like other factors are bending at least the Pharmaceutical cost curve quite nicely.

Prescription Retail Sales, $ Billions / Growth Rate, %