Medicare and Medicaid - the outlook to 2050

This just in from the AHLA's Health Law Highlights:

CBO Predicts Federal Healthcare Program Spending May Reach Unsustainable Levels Under Current Policies

Total federal spending for Medicare and Medicaid in 2050 could range from 6.4% to more than 21% of gross domestic product (GDP), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted in its recently released long term budget outlook. In 2003, the programs accounted for 3.9% of GDP. "Unless taxation reaches levels that are unprecedented in the United States, current spending policies will probably be financially unsustainable over the next 50 years," CBO said.

The report is here.