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Healthcare costs to top $8,000 per American in '09

Growth in national health expenditures is expected to be 5.5 percent this year, as spending increases from $2.4 trillion in 2008 to $2.5 trillion in 2009-or $8,140 per person, according to CMS.

The good news is there's still plenty of demand for your industry, but the bad news is it keeps getting more expensive. Healthcare costs will top $8,000 per American this year, according to a February report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Growth in national health expenditures is expected to be 5.5 percent this year, as spending increases from $2.4 trillion in 2008 to $2.5 trillion in 2009-or $8,140 per person, according to CMS.

From 2008 to 2018, the average annual health spending growth (6.2 percent) is likely to grow faster than the overall economy (4.1 percent). By 2018, national health spending is expected to reach $4.4 trillion and constitute slightly more than one-fifth of the U.S. gross domestic product.

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