Distribution of Spending Detailed for 2002
Health Affairs includes an article which details the trends in healthcare spending across the United States. The research team reviewed 2002 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Most countries evaluate the amount of spending that is attributed to public healthcare sources. The team evaluated the burden of spending paid by government and other public sources. Such a comprehensive assessment has not been completed for the U.S. in some time.
The average spending per person was $2,612 in 2002 dollars. The average of tax subsidies was $745 per person. Spending from public sources accounted for more than half of all spending.
Public spending accounted for 56.1 percent of all U.S. healthcare spending during 2002. Those funds were limited to spending on the noninstitutionalized civilian population. Of particular attention is the significant amount of this spending dedicated to care for individuals with complex health problems and the elderly.
This is critically important in light of the continued growth of healthcare spending in this country. In 2008, the figure is targeted to reach $2.4 trillion. It is expected that the percent of spending from government sources will, if anything, continue to grow with the emerging healthcare crisis and the growing population eligible for Medicare.