Healthcare spending in the United States is expected to grow at a historically low rate of 7.5 percent next year, according to a recently published report medical cost trend by the PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI). The projection is part of a pattern of slower medical growth to which several factors contribute. These include the sluggish economy, increased focus on cost containment by the industry, lower use of services by cost-conscious patients, and efforts by employers to hold down expenses. However, despite the slow growth of recent years, the authors suggest that the gap between healthcare spending and overall inflation may be narrowing to a more sustainable level.