Blues Publish Medical Cost Guide

Health care spending in the U.S. reached $2.2 trillion in 2006, according to estimates by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Chicago.

That figure represents 16.5% of the nation’s gross domestic product and could reach 20% by 2015, according to BCBS calculations.

The government remains the largest payer for health care, bearing almost half the total costs, primarily through public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Private health insurance accounts for about one-third of the total, according to the Blues.