In 2012, national health expenditures increased by an estimation of 4.3 percent, which is slightly higher than 3.9 percent between 2009 and 2011, according to research by Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending.

This figure could be revised, but it marks the fourth-consecutive year of record-low growth from all previous years, the research finds. More than 50 years of official health spending data have been reported.

From December 2011 to December 2012, health care prices increased by 1.7 percent, which is the lowest year-over-year growth since February 1998, while the 12-month moving average of 2 percent is the lowest reading since December 1998, the research shows. In January, the health care sector added 23,000 jobs. This is on par with the 24-month average of 24,000 jobs. After calculating benchmark revisions, the health care sector brought in 70,000 jobs from 2011-2012, raising overall jobs by 598,000.