Saturday, March 31, 2012

Healthcare: By the Numbers

Did you know that five percent of the population is responsible for almost 50 percent of healthcare expenditures?  A survey by the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research found also that one percent of the population is responsible for 21 percent of healthcare spending.  The period of the study was 2008 to 2009.

The agency's report found that healthcare expenses totaled 1.26 trillion in 2009.  Therefore, the top five percent accounted for $630 billion in healthcare spending, and the top one percent accounted for $265 billion.

Perhaps of greater significance for employers and the Federal government, 50 percent of the population account for just 3 percent of all healthcare spending.  The top spenders by demographic?  People over age 45 and women.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Employment: By the Numbers

Did you know that complaints to the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have jumped by nearly one third since 2006?  According to EEOC statistics, complaints to the commission totaled 75,758 in 2006, but totaled 99,947 in 2011.  The cause?  A protracted recession that resulted in a doubling of the unemployment rate and nearly 8 million newly unemployed workers.