Medford, OR – According to the state officials, this report presents data on health care spending and health care cost growth in the state between 2018 and 2020.

Data confirm health care costs grew between 2018 and 2019 before dropping between 2019 and 2020 due to COVID-related changes in use of health care.

Medicaid experienced the lowest rate of cost growth compared to Medicare and the commercial market.

In 2019, the Oregon Legislature established the Sustainable Health Care Cost Growth Target Program, which is designed to prevent health care costs from growing faster than wages, inflation, and other economic indicators.

In collaboration among large provider organizations, hospitals and health insurance plans, the program sets a statewide target for the annual per-person growth rate of total health care spending.