Much of the angst over rising health costs has focused on thehardship they inflict on patients, as well as state and federalbudgets.

But The Wall Street Journal points out anothervictim of ballooning medical costs: The rest of the U.S.economy.

As the share of Americans’ income devoted to health careincreases, the amount left to spend on other things naturallydeclines. As a result, everybody in the business of sellingsomething other than health care is feeling the pinch.

Since 2007, Americans’ spending on health care has risen 25percent. In the same time period, their spending on everything elsehas declined 6.3 percent.

Retail has been hit particularly hard. For example, people spend13.4 percent less on food away from home and 18 percent less onclothes.

While the cost of health care has been rapidly rising over thepast two decades, until recently, much of that cost was absorbed byemployers. However, employers have begun to shift away fromgenerous health plans in favor of high-deductible plans orconsumer-driven plans that require greater out-of-pocket spendingfrom employees.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that spending ondeductibles rose 256 percent between 2004 and 2014. Overallcost-sharing by beneficiaries increased 77 percent during thattime.

The dramatic rise in the cost of prescription drugs has also hitconsumers more directly than some past health care cost increases,say economists.

Wal-Mart Inc. was already raising the alarm three years ago,complaining that the individual mandate to buy insurance would hurtspending on other goods. Of course, while the money thatindividuals spend on a mandatory insurance plan certainly divertsincome from other areas of spending, the effect on the overallhealth care system is hopefully to lower costs for others.