Taxpayers Foot The Bill: Public vs. Private Insurance Spending

This year, taxpayers will cover about 70 percent of what is spent on health care in California, according to analysis by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Many people assume that the U.S. health care system is primarily supported by private dollars, such as insurance premiums from employer-based coverage. But that’s no longer the case, at least in California — mostly because of its massive expansion of Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid.

Read more about the state’s health care expenditures in Ana B. Ibarra’s coverage.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

<h1>Taxpayers Foot The Bill: Public vs. Private Insurance Spending</h1>
<div>		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2016-09-06T12:00:30-07:00">
			September 6, 2016		</time>
		</div>
<p>This year, taxpayers will cover about 70 percent of what is spent on health care in California, according to <a href="http://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2016/PublicSharePB_FINAL_8-31-16.pdf">analysis</a> by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.</p><p>Many people assume that the U.S. health care system is primarily supported by private dollars, such as insurance premiums from employer-based coverage. But that’s no longer the case, at least in California — mostly because of its massive expansion of Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid.</p><p>Read more about the state’s health care expenditures in <a href="http://californiahealthline.org/news/ucla-study-taxpayers-foot-70-percent-of-californias-health-care-tab/">Ana B. Ibarra’s coverage</a>.</p><ul><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/taxpayers-foot-the-bill-public-vs-private-insurance-spending/?share=facebook">				Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/taxpayers-foot-the-bill-public-vs-private-insurance-spending/?share=linkedin">				Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/taxpayers-foot-the-bill-public-vs-private-insurance-spending/?share=x">				Click to share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Taxpayers%20Foot%20The%20Bill%3A%20Public%20vs.%20Private%20Insurance%20Spending&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcaliforniahealthline.org%2FMjA5Mzcy&share=email">				Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/taxpayers-foot-the-bill-public-vs-private-insurance-spending/#print?share=print">				Click to print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li></ul><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p>

Some elements may be removed from this article due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about available photos or other content, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org.