HEALTH PROGRAM SPENDING AND THE LONG-TERM BUDGET OUTLOOK

According to a blog from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), spending for the major health care programs would increase from 5.5 percent of GDP now to 8.9 percent in 2046. The programs include Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as spending on subsidies for health insurance purchased through the marketplaces established by the ACA and related spending. About three-quarters of the increase in spending for the major health care programs would be for Medicare.

The blog can be accessed at https://www.cbo.gov/publication/51840.