Prescription drug spending growth slowed in 2017 following rapid increases in 2014 and 2015, when expensive new specialty drugs came to market. An updated chart collection looks at past, present and forecasted trends in prescription drug spending with a focus on the role of specialty drugs. It compares drug spending with spending on overall health and on out-of-pocket spending for doctor and hospital care, and it tracks out-of-pocket costs for drugs in relation to what is paid by private insurance and Medicare.

The slideshow is part of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, a partnership between the Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF that monitors the U.S. health system’s performance on key quality and cost measures.