There is new study by that Dartmouth Atlas project which is published in the New England Journal of Medicine on the rising costs of healthcare. For 20 years, the project researchers have been examining geographical disparities in healthcare by using data from Medicare, which has the most extensive and uniform claims information in the country.
Pensacola fared well. Nationally, costs climbed 3.5 percent annually from 1992 through 2006. In Pensacola, the increase was 2.67 percent. That put Pensacola No. 272 of the 307 cities for growth rate.
The national average Medicare patient’s cost is $8,304. For Pensacola, $7,946 – No. 141 of the 307 cities.
Read Miami Herald article – which has the spreadsheets.