Trends in the US budget reflect an inconvenient truth: If the growth of spending on health-care programs cannot be slowed, stabilizing the federal debt at a sustainable level will require deep cuts in spending on other priorities and increases in taxes on the middle class. The recent slowdown in the growth of health-care spending is a promising sign that America’s budgetary tradeoffs may turn out to be less difficult than expected.
美国预算趋势反映了一个令人不安的真相：如果医疗项目支出增长无法降下来，将联邦债务稳定在可持续水平就需要大幅削减其他优先项目的支出和向中产阶级增税。医疗支出下降的当前趋势对美国是一个福音，其预算权衡可能没有预想中的困难。