Prices faced by consumers for medical care rose at a 5.3% annualized rate between January and August last year. That is a higher rate than that for 2006 (4.0%) and the average annual rate for the previous 5 years (4.3%). Moreover, should medical care inflation continue at the same pace through the remainder of 2007, it would continue an upward trend rate of increase that began 10 years ago and will mark the highest annual rate since 1993.
