• National health care spending (source)
  

Health Care Spending as a Percentage of the Federal Budget

Source: Congressional Budget Office

• In 2007, health care spending in the United States reached $2.3 trillion, and was projected to reach $3 trillion in 2011. Health care spending is projected to reach $4.2 trillion by 2016.
• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.

• Employer and Employee Health Insurance Costs Have Increased (source)
• Premiums for employer-based health insurance rose by 6.1 percent in 2007. Small employers saw their premiums, on average, increase 5.5 percent. Firms with less than 24 workers, experienced an increase of 6.8 percent.
• The annual premium that a health insurer charges an employer for a health plan covering a family of four averaged $12,100 in 2007.
  
• The percentage of Americans under age 65 whose family-level, out-of-pocket spending for health care, including health insurance, that exceeds $2,000 a year, rose from 37.3 percent in 1996 to 43.1 percent in 2003 - a 16 percent increase.
• Uninsured costs: Out-of-pocket and uncompensated care - People uninsured for any part of 2008 spend about $30 billion out of pocket and receive approximately $56 billion in uncompensated care while uninsured. Government programs finance about 75 percent of uncompensated care. If all uninsured people were fully covered, their medical spending would increase by $122.6 billion. The increase represents 5 percent of current national health spending. (Source)

• Aging -With the aging and growth of the population, the number of Medicare beneficiaries more than doubled between 1966 and 2000 and is projected to double yet again, with the Medicare population estimated at 77 million in 2030. Today, 43% of all Medicare beneficiaries are between 65 and 74 years old and 11% are 85 or older. Those who are 85 or older are the fastest-growing age group among elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Between 1990 and 1996, the population growth of people age 85 and over averaged 3.4% a year, compared with 1.1% a year for people ages 65-84. (source)
• People over 65 pay considerable higher out-of-pocket costs for their health care than people under 65 do. In 2003, people over 65 paid 12.5% of their income in out-of-pocket costs, 9.7% if prescription drug costs are excluded. Comparatively, people under 65 paid 2.2% of their income in out-of-pocket costs, 1.7% if medications are excluded. (source)
• In 2007, there were 253.4 million insured Americans, compared to 249.8 million in 2006. As for uninsured Americans, 15.3% of the population, or 45.7 million, were without medical coverage in 2007, compared to 15.8%, or 47.8 million, in 2006. The growth rate, and overall number of uninsured, has increased from 1987 to 2007, from about 13% to 15.3%. (link)

• Coverage by Type of Health Insurance: 2006 and 2007 (link)
• About 67.5% of population were covered by private health insurance in 2007, compared to 67.9% in 2006. Of those in 2007, 59.3% in 2007 (about 177.4 million) had employment-based health insurance; in 2006 that was 59.3%.
• Government health insurance covered 83 million (27.8% of the population) in 2007. It covered 80.3 million (27.0%) in 2006
• Medicaid covered 13.2% of the US population (39.6 million) in 2007. It covered 12.9% (38.3 million) in 2006.
• Uninsured Children (Under 18 years old) by Poverty Status, Age, Race and Hispanic Origin: 2007: (link)
• In 2007, 11% of American children (8.1 million) were uninsured. In 2006, that number was 11.7% (8.7 million). For children who live below the poverty line, that rate was higher. In 2007, 17.6% in poverty were uninsured. In 2006, 19.3% of children in poverty were uninsured.

1. Public Health Care Coverage

• Medicare - Medicare is a federal social insurance program that provides health insurance to elderly workers and their dependents, individuals who become totally and permanently disabled, and end stage renal disease patients.
• Medicaid -Medicaid is the United States health program for individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is an entitlement program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states. Among the groups of people served by Medicaid are eligible low-income parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It is estimated that approximately 60% of poor Americans are not covered by Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with limited income.
• State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) - The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a joint state/federal program to provide health insurance to children in families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance.
• Military health benefits - Health benefits are provided to active duty service members, retired service members and their dependents by the Department of Defense Military Health System. The MHS consists of a direct care network of Military Treatment Facilities and a purchased care network known as TRICARE. Additionally, veterans may also be eligible for benefits through the Veterans Health Administration.
• Indian health service - The Indian Health Service provides medical assistance to eligible American Indians at IHS facilities, and helps pay the cost of some services provided by non-IHS health care providers.
• State risk pools - In 1976, some states began providing guaranteed-issuance risk pools, which enable individuals who are medically uninsurable through private health insurance to purchase a state-sponsored health insurance plan, usually at higher cost. Minnesota was the first to offer such a plan; 34 states now offer them. Plans vary greatly from state to state, both in their costs and benefits to consumers and in their methods of funding and operations. They serve a very small portion of the uninsurable market—about 182,000 people in the US as of 2004. In best cases, they allow people with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease or other chronic illnesses to be able to switch jobs or seek self-employment without fear of being without health care benefits. However, the plans are expensive, with premiums that can be double the average policy, and the pools currently cover only 1 in 25 of the so-called "uninsurable" population. Efforts to pass a national pool have as yet been unsuccessful, but some federal tax money has been awarded to states to innovate and improve their plans.

2. Private Health Care Coverage

• Employer-sponsored - Employer-sponsored health insurance is paid for by businesses on behalf of their employees as part of an employee benefit package. Most private health coverage in the US is employment based. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly 100% of large firms offer health insurance to their employees.
• Individually purchased - Policies of health insurance obtained by individuals not otherwise covered under policies or programs elsewhere classified. Generally major medical, short-term medical, and student policies. According to the US Census Bureau, about 9% of Americans are covered under health insurance purchased directly.

• Workers - Workers want a health care plan offered by their employer that is affordable relative to their pay, adequately covers their need and the needs of any family members on their plan, and that will stay in effect and not become cost-prohibitive for their employer.

• Taxpayers - Taxpayers who support public health care programs want to be assured that their money is being well-spent. They want to know that their taxes are not going to mismanaged or poorly implemented programs, or programs whose overhead costs outweigh what they offer to their beneficiaries. Taxpayers who do not support public health care programs do not want tax money going to these programs, because they see them as corrupt or so big, costly, and poorly managed that they do not warrant the money being put into them.

• Insured & Uninsured - Insured people want to know that their insurance will cover the health care they need now or in the future, and that any out-of-pocket costs they have will be manageable. Uninsured want to be able to receive care without taking on bills that will become financially overwhelming.

• Unemployed people - Unemployed people want to be able to receive adequate health care without overwhelming costs.

• Employers - Employers want to be able to offer health coverage to their employees, because such benefits are attractive ways to bring in and retain good employees. They want this coverage to be financially manageable on their part, but affordable to their employees.

• Retired/Older people - Retired and older people want to able to afford and receive the same health care that they did when they were working, without huge financial burdens. They want to know that as they face the health concerns that go along with getting older, that they will be able to receive and afford the care and medicines they will need.

• Parents/Children - Parents want to reassured that their children will be able to receive care, whether that is under the plan they receive through the parents' employer or through a public program.

• Doctors/Health care professionals/Hospitals - Health care professionals and hospitals want to be able to provide care for patients with the assurance that they will be paid in a timely basis - either by the patient, the insurance company, or a federal/state program.

• Local/State/Federal governments - Governments want to be able to offer public health care programs, without them becoming financially burdensome. Politicians want to create new programs or reform current ones in a way that appeal to voters - both in cost and in coverage.

• Insurance Companies - Want to be able to offer coverage plans to customers that are satisfactory to the customers while also being profitable for the company.