Government Health Care programs are reaching a record cost of 1 trillion dollars, accounting for half of total government health care expenditures. in 2008, 47% of the 2.34 trillion dollar health care expenditure went to government health care programs. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates in a paper to be published Thursday in the journal Health Affairs that the proportion will rise to 50.4% by 2011. Last year, the federal actuaries had predicted the 50% mark wouldn't be reached until around 2016.


"It's going to be a desperate issue five to 10 years out," said Gail Wilensky, the former top Medicare official in the George H.W. Bush administration. She said the U.S. will have to decide soon between raising revenue to pay for Medicare or reducing benefits.

Many states are having trouble funding Medicaid. President Barack Obama's budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 calls for $25 billion in federal help for covering Medicaid costs.

In Response to mounting health care costs, the Republicans suggested we abandon it all and start over.