WASHINGTON -- A sharp and surprisingly persistent slowdown in the growth of healthcare costs is helping to narrow the federal deficit, leaving budget experts trying to figure out whether the trend will last and how much the slower growth could help to alleviate the country's long-term fiscal problems.
In figures released last week, the Congressional Budget Office said it had erased hundreds of billions of dollars in projected spending on Medicare and Medicaid. The budget office now projects that spending on those two programs in 2020 will be about $200 billion, or 15 percent, less than it projected three years ago.New data also show overall healthcare spending growth continuing at the lowest rate in decades for a fourth consecutive year.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
