"The proliferation of convenient ways to get care —

— such as retail clinics and urgent care centers — has led to higher utilization. Even if higher use of these alternative sites reduces spending in the future, the savings may not reduce the short-term cost of more visits."

— Excerpted from a medical cost trend forecast for 2017 released June 20 by PwC's Health Research Institute, which identified cost factors in its projected 6.5% growth rate for next year.