The Unsustainable U.S. Health Care System

swampland.blogs.time.com — Here's a newsflash for those fretting that Democratic health reform will lead to a “government takeover of the health care system” — the feds will account for more than half of all U.S. health spending by 2012 even if nothing changes. According to a report out today from economists at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, federal spending on health care grew faster than private spending in 2009, as more people fell off private insurance rolls and signed up for Medicaid. While the recession is largely to blame for changes in 2009, CMS predicts the trend of an increasing government role in health spending to continue. One reason: As more baby boomers grow old enough to qualify for Medicare, that program is on track to grow substantially. The CMS report couldn't have come at a better time for Democrats.

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