a With the large amount of money spent each year on healthcare paid for by the American
government, it is interesting to consider how many are unaware or uneducated regarding these
expenditures. There are likely a multitude of reasons that explain the lack of awareness
regarding government healthcare spending. In 2020, total spending for U.S. healthcare was
approximately $4.1 trillion (CMS.gov, 2021); that is an incredibly large number that some may
have difficulty comprehending in terms of dollars spent. Of that spending, approximately $1.5
trillion was spent through Medicare and Medicaid, with federal government spending in
healthcare growing by 36% in 2020 (CMS.gov, 2021). Much of that growth has been attributed
to the COVID-19 pandemic (CMS.gov, 2021). Considering the current political situation in the
United States, it is possible that Americans are paying attention to items that are deemed more
news-worthy, more shocking, or more polarizing. Americans may be more upset about things
they can see, like tax dollars spent on vaccine development or the enormous defense budget,
than things that have already been going on behind the scenes all along.
a a a a We may also have a situation where the average American does not realize the
average healthcare costs in terms of age groups, regardless of payer. Information from CMS
regarding 2014 data indicates a larger portion of healthcare payments for females in
comparison to their male counterparts and advises that, per capita, healthcare expenditures
were nearly nine times greater for adults over the age of 85 than for children (CMS, n.d.).
Healthcare spending for older adults over the age of 65 was approximately $11,000 greater
than the per capita average of the entire population (CMS.gov, n.d.); with Medicare eligibility
beginning at age 65, it is easy to see how the government could be responsible for a large
portion of these expenses (Backman, 2021) but the average layperson could continue to be
unaware of the healthcare costs the government is responsible for.
References
Backman, M. (2021, July 16). Do I need to sign up for Medicare at 65 if I’m still working?
MedicareResources.org. https://www.medicareresources.org/faqs/do-i-need-to-sign-up-
for-medicare-at-65-if-im-still-
working/#:~:text=Medicare%20eligibility%20starts%20at%20age,over%20the%20course%
20of%20retirement.
NHE fact sheet. CMS.gov. (2021, December 15). https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-
and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NHE-Fact-
Sheet#:~:text=Historical%20NHE%2C%202020%3A&text=Medicaid%20spending%20grew
%209.2%25%20to,16%20percent%20of%20total%20NHE.&text=Out%20of%20pocket%20
spending%20declined,the%205.9%25%20growth%20in%202019.
U.S. personal health care spending by age and gender – 2014 highlights. CMS.gov. (n.d.).
https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-
Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/AgeandGenderHighlights.pdf
