WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – Spending on health care in the U.S. rose 2.2% in the second quarter, more than offsetting a revised 0.5% decline in the first three months of the year. Higher health-care spending contributed to a 3.7% increase in U.S. gross domestic product in the second quarter. Over the past year health spending has risen 6.7% pace, down from 7.1% in the first quarter. Hospital outlays rose 1% in the second quarter and they are up 8.1% in the past 12 months. Health care is the second biggest service sector by spending, with services accounting for much as four-fifths of all U.S. economic activity.
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