Most of the money goes to fund the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These hidden costs have gone largely unnoticed. In the last few years, however, there's evidence of a reversal of that trend. Workers are picking up a larger share of the cost of health premiums at their jobs and paying higher deductibles, too. In addition, many Americans today are paying the full cost for a range of alternative health services and products not covered by insurance.
Experts agree that level of health expense makes it difficult for families to pay other bills.
Many older Americans are hit even harder. And the average family headed by a person aged 65 or over spent one out of five dollars on health care in 1997. The price of health insurance has more than doubled over the last 10 years. People who work at small businesses often pay more. Employers got hit, too.