Congressional Digest

Excerpt

Despite a century of innovations in medical procedures,
technologies, and treatments, the Nation’s health care system
is in trouble. Annual health care costs (now about 16
percent of gross national product) are skyrocketing, the
number of uninsured is at an all-time high, and public satisfaction
is sinking.
A large portion of health care is paid for by employer-based
insurance, and with medical costs outpacing inflation,
American firms are scaling back on the coverage they offer.
At the same time, the cost burden on the government is
about to soar, as baby boomers retire and become eligible
for Medicare and the n…