Healthcare costs keep rising, but at slower pace

The relentless rise in healthcare spending ? which had threatened government budgets and helped pave the way for President Obama's health law ? continued to moderate in 2012, the fourth year of a historic slowdown, newly released federal data show. The new data adds fuel to a debate over whether the slowdown signals lower healthcare inflation for years to come. The report identifies several factors contributing to the slower growth in health spending including the increasing use of generic drugs and a provision in the ACA which requires insurers to spend more of their customers' premiums on medical care rather than administrative expenses.