Healthcare Spending Trend to Accelerate, Says CMS

The fate of PPACA stands in the balance awaiting a Supreme Court decision expected later this month that could strike down all or part of the law. Keehan and his team of economists and actuaries said the projections could be affected by changes in the healthcare reform law, as well as in the economy.

As a percentage of the gross domestic product, CMS projects national health spending to grow to 19.6% in 2021, up from 17.9% in 2010. In addition, federal, state and local spending is projected to account for almost 50% of national health spending versus 46% in 2011.

The CMS health spending projections appear in Health Affairs.