HCFA does not endorse any commercial products, services or web sites. Historical Overview Health spending in the United States has grown rapidly over the past few decades. During the last 6 years, however, strong growth trends in health care spending have subsided. Similarly, the share of GDP going to health care stabilized, with the 1998 share measured at 13.5 percent.
Health care is funded through a variety of private payers and public programs.
For the years 1974-1991, these private funds paid for 58 to 60 percent of all health care costs. By 1997, however, the private share of health costs had declined to 53.8 percent of the country's total health care expenditures, rising slightly to 54.5 percent in 1998. The share of health care provided by public spending increased correspondingly during the 1992-1997 period, falling slightly in 1998. Public spending represents expenditures by Federal, State, and local governments. Other activities that are also publicly funded include maternal and child health services, school health programs, public health clinics, Indian health care services, migrant health care services, substance abuse and mental health activities, and medically related vocational rehabilitation services.