According to this, we spend about 16% of our GDP on health care.
And, according to this, we spend just a little more than that on the federal government: 17.2%.
So, it's tempting to say that the federal government costs just a little more than health care, however:
Part of that 17.2% is Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans health care. How much?
Medicare is 7.5%.
Medicaid is around 2%.
I couldn't find an exact figure, but that's close enough for government work.
The VA is <1%.
Add those together and subtract from the total cost of government:
17.2 - 7.5 - 2 = 7.7%
So, the total cost of government, military and social, everything except for health care consumes 7.7% of the GDP. Meanwhile, health care, public and private, consumes 16%. Health care costs more than twice as much as the entire federal budget.
Moreover, we pay more than any other nation in the world, and for no better outcomes.
And health care costs continue to rise faster than inflation.
Forget global warming, the debt, the Islamic terrorists. This is the biggest challenge currently facing this nation, bar none.
And, according to this, we spend just a little more than that on the federal government: 17.2%.
So, it's tempting to say that the federal government costs just a little more than health care, however:
Part of that 17.2% is Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans health care. How much?
Medicare is 7.5%.
Medicaid is around 2%.
I couldn't find an exact figure, but that's close enough for government work.
The VA is <1%.
Add those together and subtract from the total cost of government:
17.2 - 7.5 - 2 = 7.7%
So, the total cost of government, military and social, everything except for health care consumes 7.7% of the GDP. Meanwhile, health care, public and private, consumes 16%. Health care costs more than twice as much as the entire federal budget.
Moreover, we pay more than any other nation in the world, and for no better outcomes.
And health care costs continue to rise faster than inflation.
Forget global warming, the debt, the Islamic terrorists. This is the biggest challenge currently facing this nation, bar none.