Prescription drug prices doubled from 1996 to 2006, according to new inflation-adjusted numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In the report, Trends in Health Care Expenditures for Adults Ages 18-44: 2006 versus 1996, (PDF) AHRQ also reveals that health-care expenses were about $40 billion more in 2006 than 10 years before and the average expenses increased significantly for visits to doctors offices, emergency rooms and dentists.
The analysis did not find a significant difference in how people were paying for their medical expenses; in both years, more than half were paid by private insurance, about one-fifth were paid out of pocket, and most of the
remaining expenses were paid by Medicaid.
