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Each line rebased to 100 where the shared window begins — growth from a common base, not levels.

Health Insurance (CPI) Labor Productivity
Health Insurance (CPI)Labor Productivity Rebased to 100 at Jan 1978
1980 Recession1981-82 Recession1990-91 Recession2001 RecessionGlobal Financial CrisisCOVID-19 Recession100200300400500600700800900100 = Jan 197819801990200020102020Indexed to 100 · r = 0.99 over the overlap — correlation is not causation · econscout.com

Each series rebased to 100 at Jan 1978. health_insurance_cpi, productivity · read from cache, latest-revised.

  • Health Insurance (CPI)

    CPI for health insurance (measures insurer retained earnings, not premiums).

    Consumer price index for health insurance, all urban consumers.

  • Labor Productivity

    Output produced per hour worked, as an index.

    Nonfarm business sector real output per hour of all persons, indexed to 2017=100.

Each measured on its own terms — compare the lenses, not just the lines. Full lessons → Learn

r = 0.99 very strong correlation · 192 overlapping months

…and that proves nothing. Two lines moving together is not one moving the other. Almost any pair of trending economic series correlates highly — they share the same long climb of growth, prices, and population, or it is chance. r measures co-movement over this exact window, never cause. Change the range or swap a series and watch r move. Why correlation isn’t causation →