Whether Einstein said it or not, compound interest is amazing: “…the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it, he who doesn’t, pays it.” Negative compounding is powerful too, and we pay it in the form of healthcare inflation.
Over the last 10 years, annual healthcare inflation for workers has averaged 5%, or more than double CPI. 1/3 of that 5% is general inflation, the rest: admin, regulations, wages, new drugs, profits (some excess), waste, etc. In a decade the beyond-CPI number has grown approximately $2,000 for a single employee–see $1,923 in the chart below and 3x more for family coverage.