Altman conjectures that, overall, the growth in health-care spending between 2008 and 2012 was about one percentage point lower than predicted by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions alone. If this reduction continues after the economy recovers – as seems likely, given the cost-containment incentives in the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) – the US stands to spend $2 trillion less on health care over the coming decade.
但重要的私人医疗系统成本遏制变化，包括私人保险计划承担部分增加和收紧管理式保健（managed care）的控制，也是减速的原因。奥特曼推算，光是宏观经济环境恶化就使2008—2012年间医疗支出增长大约比预测速度低1个百分点。如果这一减少因素在经济复苏后持续——由于平价医疗法（Affordable Care Act，被广泛称为奥巴马医改（Obamacare））中的成本控制激励，这很有可能——美国将在未来十年中减少2万亿美元的医疗支出。