U.S. Healthcare Market: Health Sharing Alternative Model Cuts Costs

Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) remains hotly contested, one thing is clear: Health care costs in this country have ballooned to unprecedented heights.

During his confirmation hearing to become secretary of the most expensive agency in the government, RFK Jr. displayed limited knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid which, when taken together, are the largest expense of the entire federal budget. In fiscal year 2023, the federal government spent $839 billion on Medicare and $616 billion on Medicaid. In other words, the HHS spent $1.45 trillion of taxpayer money on these two programs alone. The Pentagon’s budget is half that. In short, the HHS oversees over a quarter of the federal budget. Or, as NR’s Jim Geraghty put it, HHS accounts for one out of every four federal dollars.

About the Author

Kayla Bartsch

Kayla Bartsch is a former William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism at National Review.

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Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) remains hotly contested, one thing is clear: Health care costs in this country have ballooned to unprecedented heights.

During his confirmation hearing to become secretary of the most expensive agency in the government, RFK Jr. displayed limited knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid which, when taken together, are the largest expense of the entire federal budget. In fiscal year 2023, the federal government spent $839 billion on Medicare and $616 billion on Medicaid. In other words, the HHS spent $1.45 trillion of taxpayer money on these two programs alone. The Pentagon’s budget is half that. In short, the HHS oversees over a quarter of the federal budget. Or, as NR’s Jim Geraghty put it, HHS accounts for one out of every four federal dollars.