“[The] primary drivers of personal healthcare spending growth ... are medical prices and utilization.”

— The conclusion reached by authors, led by CMS economist Sean Keehan. The study found that while medical price inflation slowed from 3.4% in 2006 to 3.2% last year, that trend will turn about and run toward 3.8% between 2008 and 2017. The authors also noted that healthcare inflation for the nation as a whole in 2007 was 6.7%, and CMS anticipates that “average annual growth is expected to remain near that rate through 2017,” the last year of the forecast,” “CMS sees disposable income feeding higher health costs,” pp. 2,3.