Healthcare Cost Inflation Calculator | Value Vitals Resources

Resources · HEOR Modeling Tools

Healthcare Cost Inflation Calculator

Bring a cost figure from any published study forward — or back — to a target month using official BLS Consumer Price Index data, so figures line up cleanly when you're building a health economics model.

Adjust a dollar figure

Pick the index that matches your figure — hospitalization, procedure, and drug costs typically track the Medical Care CPI, not the headline number.

Source — your published figure

$

Target — inflate to

Latest published month: Jul 2026.

Table current through Jul 2026.

Adjusted value · Jul 2026

$16,231.48

Cumulative change

+15.9%

Annualized rate

+2.3%

Span

6.5 yrs

$14,000.00 (Jan 2020, index 512.149) × (593.781 ÷ 512.149) = $16,231.48

Methodology & how to read this

Adjustment uses the standard CPI ratio method applied to not seasonally adjusted (NSA) index values, which is the convention used for historical cost look-ups (seasonal adjustment is meant for month-to-month trend analysis, not for point-in-time conversions):

Adjusted value = Source amount × (Target period index ÷ Source period index)

A half-year or full-year period uses the average of the published monthly index values inside that span — the same approach BLS uses for its own annual averages.

Which series should I use? If your source figure is a direct medical cost — a hospitalization, procedure, drug, or device — use CPI · Medical Care. It has consistently outpaced headline inflation. Use CPI-U · All Items only when a model calls for general purchasing power (e.g., converting a stated willingness-to-pay threshold or a non-medical cost line).

This tool is meant to support quick estimation while building a model. For a submission-grade analysis, cite the BLS series ID and vintage directly alongside your own calculation.

CPI index, by month

The same toggle above controls this table. Cells used in your last calculation are highlighted below.

Source period Target period
Year JanFebMar AprMayJun JulAugSep OctNovDec Avg
2000255.5257.0258.1258.8259.4260.5261.4262.6263.1263.7264.1264.8260.8
2001267.1268.9270.0270.8271.4272.5273.1274.4275.0275.9276.7277.3272.8
2002279.6281.0282.0283.2284.1284.7286.6287.3287.7289.2290.5291.3285.6
2003292.6293.7294.2294.6295.5296.3297.6298.4299.2299.9300.8302.1297.1
2004303.6306.0307.5308.3309.0310.0311.0311.6312.3313.3314.1314.9310.1
2005316.8319.3320.7321.5322.2322.9324.1323.9324.6326.2328.1328.4323.2
2006329.5332.1333.8334.7335.6336.0337.0337.7338.3339.3340.1340.1336.2
2007343.5346.5347.2348.2349.1349.5351.6353.0353.7355.7357.0357.7351.1
2008360.5362.2363.0363.2363.4363.6364.0364.5365.0365.7366.6367.1364.1
2009369.8372.4373.2374.2375.0375.1375.7376.5377.7378.6379.6379.5375.6
2010382.7385.9387.1387.7387.8388.2387.9388.5390.6391.2391.7391.9388.4
2011393.9397.1397.7398.8399.4399.6400.3400.9401.6403.4404.9405.6400.3
2012408.1410.5411.5412.5413.7415.3416.8417.1418.0418.4418.7418.7414.9
2013420.7423.2424.2423.8422.8424.3424.8426.9428.0428.1427.7427.1425.1
2014429.6432.8433.4434.1434.9435.4435.9435.8436.6437.0438.4439.7435.3
2015441.0442.8444.0446.7447.2446.3446.8446.5447.3450.1451.4451.1446.8
2016454.2458.3458.6460.0461.2462.1464.2468.4469.2469.2469.3469.4463.7
2017471.7474.5474.6473.6473.5474.4476.1476.9476.5477.1477.2477.8475.3
2018481.1482.9484.0484.0484.9486.0485.2484.2484.7485.3486.9487.4484.7
2019490.2491.2492.3493.3494.9495.6497.7500.9501.5506.1507.5509.7498.4
2020512.1513.9515.6517.1519.2520.7522.7523.3522.5520.7519.8518.8518.9
2021522.1524.2524.7524.6523.9523.0524.2525.2524.8527.6528.9530.0525.3
2022535.0536.9539.7541.5543.5546.7549.6553.4556.3554.0550.8551.0546.6
2023551.4549.5547.8547.2547.4547.4546.7548.1548.4549.8551.8553.5549.1
2024557.2557.2559.9561.6564.2565.3564.0564.4566.3567.9568.8569.2563.8
2025571.9573.3574.7577.0578.2581.0583.9583.9584.9585.0*585.2587.1580.5
2026590.2592.6592.3591.7593.2592.8593.8592.4

* October 2025 was not published by BLS on its usual schedule; the value shown is linearly interpolated from September and November 2025.