Study: Public health care spending to top private spending by 2012

A new study from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects that, for the first time ever,  government spending is poised to eclipse private health care spending (Source: “Government moving into central role in health care, with or without Obama plan,” Associated Press via Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 4, 2010).

The study, “Health Spending Projections Through 2019: The Recession’s Impact Continues,” was published in the latest edition of the journal Health Affairs.

Analysis from the CMS Office of the Actuary predicts that federal and state programs will account for slightly more than half of all U.S. health spending by 2012. The shift, which has been anticipated for some time, was accelerated by aging Baby Boomers becoming Medicare eligible and more Americans enrolling in Medicaid because of the economic recession.

"This does mark a pretty stark jump in the data," said Christopher Truffer of Medicare's Office of the Actuary, which prepared the analysis.

Kaiser Health News has created an interactive graphic (Java plug-in required) that details the historical levels of public and private health care spending.