The money Californians spent on health care went up 5.4% each year for the past two decades. The 3% cap, approved Wednesday by the Health Care Affordability Board, would be phased in over five years, starting with 3.5% in 2025. Regulators will later decide how the cost target will be applied across the state's various health care sectors. In December, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the cost to practice medicine in the United States would increase 4.6% this year alone