Uncle Sam to Pay More of the Tab For Health

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Almost half the nation's health-care spending will come from government coffers by 2020, up four percentage points from 2010, according to new federal spending figures to be released Thursday.

The data, published by the trade journal Health Affairs, shows how President Barack Obama's 2010 health-overhaul law will reshape who foots the bill for the nation's medical expenses by the end of the decade.

Private employers will pay for a slightly smaller portion of the nation's health care because some large employers with low-wage workers are expected to stop offering health insurance, the report found.

Federal and state governments will take on a greater portion because the health overhaul will greatly expand the number of Americans on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, and the federal government will subsidize insurance plans for millions of lower earners through new insurance exchanges. In addition, the growth of Medicare enrollment from an aging population will push up federal health-care spending.

The creeping socialism. Are you ready for long lines? Did you really think Barack Obama would let you keep the same health insurance you've had??