Health care spending for children is rising faster than for the under-65 population as a whole, a new study finds.
The report from the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit backed by large health insurers, found the average child (newborn to age 18) in an employer-sponsored health plan accumulated $2,574 in health care bills during 2013 — an 18 percent increase compared with 2010.
Over the same time period, per capita spending for all employer plan members up to age 64 grew by a more modest 12 percent to $4,864, according to a study being released Wednesday.
The results fit with a trend of more children being treated for diabetes, depression and other health problems, said Stephen Parente, a health care finance expert at the University of Minnesota.
"This is a trend that's been going on for a while now," said Parente, who also is a board member for the research institute.
The Health Care Cost Institute publishes research on claims data from four of the nation's largest health insurers — Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group.
The new report looked at claims data for an average of about 10.2 million children per year with employer-sponsored coverage. It tabulates spending in terms of what insurance companies pay, as well as out-of-pocket costs for health plan members, such as deductibles.
The report found spending for children grew by 5.7 percent per year between 2010 and 2013, compared with 3.9 percent annually for all health plan members up to age 64.