Hidden problems in current health-care financing and potential changes.

Abstract

Health-care costs in the United States have risen significantly in the past 10 years, markedly affecting access to quality medical and mental health care. Deficit financing of our federal health-care expenditures adds billions of dollars annually to our national debt. Health-care reform is being hindered by both the inability of the government to pay for the uninsured and the unremitting spiral of the Medicare and Medicaid entitlement programs. The reasons for the total health-care cost increases include higher provider charges, overutilization of services, and the burgeoning technology; problems of malpractice, overspecialization, and consumer demands have also fueled the higher costs.