Health Spending to Double by 2018

"National spending on health care is expected to double to $4.4 trillion per year by 2018, a projection likely to be the underpinning of an expected call for broad health reform by President Obama in a televised address to Congress this evening."

"At the same time, more than 20% of the economy will be taken up by health costs by 2018, according to government projections released today. Health care currently makes up about 16.2% of the U.S. economy."