The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) recently released its free 26-page 2014 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report, and 92-page Appendix, which provide a definitive examination of detailed U.S. health care cost and utilization component line items and demographics.

One of the many tables provided in the report examines Annual Spending Per Capita, which for 2014 was $4,867 and increased 3.4% from 2013. Examining the variances from this overall average increase of 3.4%, its interesting to note the Northeast was the most expensive region and had the highest inflation (5.0% increase) while the West was the least expensive with the lowest inflation (2.4% increase.) Men, while less expensive than women ($4,417 per capita compared to $5,502) had a higher percentage increase (3.9% vs. 3.0%.) The only age group varying more than half a percentage point from the 3.4% average increase was age 26-44, at 2.4%.

But perhaps the most interesting examination of variances in the percentage increases is by service category - which indicates prescriptions are by far the leaders in inflation.

Here is a list of the service categories provided in the table, in descending order of their corresponding percentage increase from the previous year:

1. Brand Prescriptions - 8.2%
2. Generic Prescriptions - 6.5%
3. Outpatient Visits - 4.7%
4. Outpatient Other - 2.8%
5. Professional Procedures - 1.8%
6. Inpatient - 1.7%