Magnitude of U.S. Health Care

When you think of the magnitude of American health care, and old, healthy and sick, insured and uninsured, legal and illegal, employed and unemployed, rich and poor but mostly middle class.

America spends $3 trillion on health care, $9375 per person.

The government at CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid), spends over $1 trillion for its Medicare 55 million and Medicaid programs 70 million, $8000 per enrollee.

Americans spend $1.05 trillion on hospital care, and $0.75 trillion on physician care.

Of the money spent, $1.5 trillion comes from government, $1.5 trillion from private sources, and government share is growing.
There are roughly 300,000 primary care physicians in U.S, one for every 100 citizens , and roughly 200,000 nurse practitioners and 100,000 physician assistants, with the numbers of these midlevel practitoners expected to double in next decade.

For U.S. citizens without ready access to primary care physicians, non-emergency room alternatives for routine care include retail clinics in pharmacy and grocery chains, 1900, one for every 16,800. Americans, and urgicare centers, 6400, one for every 5000 Americans. Most retail clinics and urgicenters are in heavily populated centers, not in rural areas.

Of total Americans employed, 9.0% are in health care, the largest single employment sector. One of every 8 Americans is employed in health care. Hospitals employ over 6 million Americans and over 200,000 physicians.