Call it a case of good news, bad news and worse news.
The number of uninsured is expected to fall by almost half in a decade, from 45 million two years ago to roughly 23 million by 2023. That prediction comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary's latest report.
And while the office's annual National Health Expenditure Report also showed slowed health spending growth last year – the fifth straight year below 4 percent – the agency expects this year's spending to blow past that at a 5.6 percent clip. Blame it on the 9 million or so more insureds.
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This also runs counter to a CBO report from earlier in the summer that predicted slower health care spending for the rest of the year.
The agency also revealed that they expected this increased spending to continue for the foreseeable future, as PPACA's slow implementation spreads.
"National health expenditures are projected to grow at an average rate of 5.7 percent for 2013 through 2023, about 1.1 percentage points faster than the expected average annual growth rate for the [GDP]," according to the CMS press release.
Finally, the office reveals the government – as expected – is picking up a sizable chunk of that tab.
"By 2023, health expenditures financed by federal, state, and local governments are projected to account for 48 percent of national health spending," the CMS release explains. "In 2012, such expenditures constituted 44 percent of national health spending."
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