Giving to health, 1968–2008 ($ in billions)

24.03

21. 64

20. 54

17. 49

15.03

13. 24

12. 87

13. 54

12. 98

10. 66

11. 43

8. 71

6. 28

4. 10

4. 93

3. 10

2.08

1968

Current dollars Inflation-adjusted dollars

1973

1978

1983

1988

1993

1998

2003

2008

 

Giving to health has increased a great deal, particularly since the mid-1990s.

In 1988, the inflation-adjusted amount given to health ($11.43 billion) divided by the number of American households ( 91. 12 million, using Current Population Survey data from the Census Bureau) results in an estimate of giving to health of $125 (adjusted for inflation) per household.

In a similar calculation including giving from all donor types, by 1998, the number of households had grown to 102. 53 million and the per household average gift to health had risen to $171. For 2008, with total estimated giving from all sources to health of $21.64 billion and approximately 116. 78 million households, donations to health increased slightly to an average $185 per household.

The calculations for “per household” giving include all households, even those that do not give to health. They also include all health giving, including that from corporations, foundations, and through charitable bequests. This allows for comparison over time and across subsectors.