Obamacare health spending surge? Not so fast

A growing economy and an Obamacare spending surge, many suspected, had ended five years of moderate health-spending growth. Early government figures showed medical-cost acceleration at the beginning of the year. "Health care spending rose at the fastest pace since 1980 in the first quarter as the new health insurance law prompted many more Americans to visit doctors and hospitals," reported USA Today among others a month ago. Not really. The preliminary estimates that prompted the story were off. Hospital revenue fell in 2014's first quarter compared with the final three months of 2013, the Census Bureau estimated Wednesday. So did revenue for medical labs and outpatient care.