Why is it a hopeful sign? What’s so great about people spending less money on healthcare? I guess the Left knows the proper amount that people should spend on healthcare and will try to legislate it.
I want people to spend whatever amount they wish on their own healthcare. When it comes to the government providing healthcare, yes, there, as a taxpayer and a citizen, I have an interest in keeping expenditures down, but when it comes to private citizens, I have no interest in whether or not they want to spend vast sums on their healthcare or on their homes or cars or entertainment systems or educations.
The NYT reports: The growth of health spending has slowed substantially in the last few years, surprising experts and offering some fuel for optimism about the federal government’s long-term fiscal performance.
Much of the slowdown is because of the recession, and thus not unexpected, health experts say. But some of it seems to be attributable to changing behavior by consumers and providers of health care — meaning that the lower rates of growth might persist even as the economy picks up.
Because Medicare and Medicaid are two of the largest contributors to the country’s long-term debts, slower growth in health costs could reduce the pressure for enormous spending cuts or tax increases.
