Which factor is listed as contributing to escalating expenditures by including administrative tasks?

• A. The uninsured
• B. Administrative costs
• C. An excess of primary care doctors
• D. New pharmaceutical treatments

Answer: (B)

Administrative costs drive a lot of healthcare expenditure because the system’s complexity requires substantial nonclinical work: coding, billing, preauthorization, claims processing, denial management, and ongoing compliance. This overhead demands staff, software, audits, and time, all of which add to the overall price of care. While other factors influence spending in different ways—uncompensated care from the uninsured, potential effects of physician supply, or the cost of new drugs—they don’t specifically capture the impact of the administrative machinery that inflates costs.