Healthcare Sector Continues to Be U.S. Economic Bright Spot

A new report issued by the Brookings Institution shows that the nation’s healthcare sector is fueling the country’s economic recovery and that the recession would have been significantly worse were it not for healthcare-generated job growth.

The Brookings study, found here, notes that the healthcare industry has added 2.6 million jobs nationwide over the past decade, a 22.7 percent job growth rate during a period when all other industries combined were generating only 2.1 percent employment growth. The study also found that, in the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, more than one in every 10 jobs are in the healthcare sector.

HLC President Mary R. Grealy said it is critical for policymakers to keep healthcare’s role in the economy in mind as they weigh health program spending decisions.