For anyone worried about the bogeyman of big-government and a single-payer health care system, a Wall Street Journal article (subscription required) reminds us that we're approaching such a system already. The story reflects on a study published in this week's Health Affairs.
Story excerpts:
"As pressure grows for the government to pick up more of the nation's health-care tab, new data show its contribution is already at 45% and is expected to approach 50% within 10 years.
The government's widening role in financing health care stems from the recent expansion of Medicare to include prescription drugs, the growth of relatively new initiatives like the State Children's Health Insurance Program, increased spending by enrollees in programs like Medicaid -- which covers many of the sickest patients -- and cutbacks in employer-sponsored health coverage.
Overall, health spending in the U.S. is expected to double to $4.1 trillion by 2016, consuming 20% of the nation's gross domestic product, up from the current 16%, according to a new federal study. By then, the study predicts, the government will be paying 48.7% of the nation's health-care bill, up from 38% in 1970 and 40% in 1990.
The stark projections come amid increasing ferment over health care in the states and Washington. They could bolster the argument of some analysts that the U.S. is creeping toward a single-payer system in a disorganized, piecemeal way. Under such a system, the government essentially pays for health care and covers the cost by collecting taxes and premiums."
Posted by schwitz at February 22, 2007 09:30 AM | TrackBack