In the most recent budget, the federal government’s outlays for Medicare in 2010 are projected to be over $500 billion, while Medicaid will cost taxpayers over $250 billion. Private health insurance is generally provided by employers, which is encouraged by treating employer payments for health insurance as a tax-deductible business expense while not including the value of that insurance as taxable income to employees.
在最新预算中，联邦政府2010年用于Medicare计划的支出预计将超过5000亿美元，而Medicaid则将耗费纳税人2500亿美元。私人医疗保险一般由雇主提供，政府鼓励雇主支付医疗保险费用，将其作为一项可以免税的业务开支，同时也不将医疗保险价值计入雇员的应税收入。这项规定使工资所得税减少了2000多亿美元。