U.S. Health Care Spending to Double by 2017, Repor...(private health spending. The increas...),Health

The increase in private health care spending will drop from 6.6 percent in 2009 to 5.9 percent by 2017, according to the report.

In fact, by 2017, Medicare spending is expected to account for $884 billion, slightly over one-fifth of all national health spending. This is up from the projected spending level of $427 billion for 2007.

Hospital spending is expected to increase and gradually slow down through 2017, going from $696.7 billion in 2007 to more than $1.3 trillion in 2017. Prescription drug spending is expected to slow down initially and then start to accelerate through 2017, Sisko said. Drug spending will increase from $231.3 billion in 2007 to $515.7 billion in 2017.

This year, Medicaid spending is projected to grow 6.8 percent to $361.2 billion. Over the next 10 years, the program is expected to grow an average of 7.9 percent each year, reaching $717.3 billion or 16.8 percent of health spending by 2017, according to the report.

More information

For more on health care costs, visit the National Coalition on Health Care.

SOURCES: Feb. 25, 2008, teleconference with Andrea Sisko, economist, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Baltimore; Feb. 26, 2008, Health Affairs