Medical care in the monthly consumer price index (CPI) report has risen by 143 percent since January 2000, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Additionally, medical care commodities—prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and medical equipment and supplies—have increased by 76 percent in the past 25 years.
“The tragic news of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has opened a lot of discussion about the very nasty subject of health care costs and quality of service,” Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, said in a note emailed to The Epoch Times.
The Federal Reserve has attributed elevated price pressures to services inflation, particularly in the housing sector, which accounts for a significant portion of the CPI report….