2009 Medical Costs

Health care costs will rise 4.5% this year, to $8,160 for every man, woman and child in America according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Crossing over the $,8000 line means that health-care costs are consuming a growing slice of our shrinking economic pie.

Estimes show that Medicare will become insolvent as early as 2016, years sooner than expected. In fact, taxpayers will be responsible for more than half of the nation's health care bill by 2016 due to the influx of Baby Boomers and expansion of Medicaid. Health care costs will rise to $13,100 by 2018.

Meanwhile the nunber of uninsured has grown to 48 million according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.