Projected Health Care Spending

From the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) press release: "Over the coming decade, with the aging of the population and changes in medical technology and utilization as the main contributing factors, national health expenditures are expected to double, growing an average rate of 7.2 percent per year. As a result, the health share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 16 percent in 2004, is expected to climb to 20 percent by 2015."

You can find national health expenditure projections from the CMS Office of the Actuary. Projections from 2005 to 2015 are available, and the page links to the recent Health Affairs article, "Health Spending Projections Through 2015: Changes On The Horizon."

Source: Pugh, Tony. "Health care spending in U.S. to double in about 10 years." Missoulian February 22, 2006. A7.