New Thomson Reuters Index reports health care inflation for privately insured; costs climbed 6.3% in year ending 2nd-qtr 2010

The cost of health care for people in the USA with employer-sponsored health insurance climbed an estimated 6.3% for the year ending June 30, according to a new Thomson Reuters index.

The Thomson Reuters Healthcare Spending Index for Private Insurance measures historical and current levels of per capita health care spending for individuals whose coverage is provided by self-insured employers - a segment that represents about 25% of US health care expenditures.

"The index is accurate and detailed because it's based on the healthcare utilization of millions of Americans," said Gary Pickens, chief research officer at the Thomson Reuters Center for Healthcare Analytics. "That allows us to report on cost trends overall and for key components - hospitals, physicians, drugs, and patients' out-of-pocket costs," he added.