Health covers both the state of physical, mental, and social well-being of Americans, as well as access to healthcare. Healthcare accounts for nearly 20% of the US economy.
There are many ways to measure the state of health and healthcare in the US: life expectancy, top causes of death, percent of Americans with health insurance, health risk factors, and more. This page showcases some of these measures to answer fundamental questions and directs you to data to develop an understanding of how healthy Americans are.
USAFacts categorizes government budget data to allocate spending appropriately, and to arrive at the estimate presented here. The health-related spending shown covers public health, hospitals, and other medical services. It does not include spending on government-run health insurance programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. In 2020, public health spending increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This included testing and vaccination for the virus.
Government revenue and expenditures are based on data from the Office of Management and Budget, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Each is published annually, although due to collection times, state and local government data are not as current as federal data. Thus, when combining federal, state, and local revenues and expenditures, the most recent year for a combined number may be delayed.
Focus | Key actors | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
Public health | Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture | Promote good health; provide grants to states |
Research and development | National Institutes of Health | Fund and directly conduct scientific research |
Hospitals and emergency care | Department of Veterans Affairs, military hospitals | Provide health services and hospital care to veterans and service members |
Health insurance | Department of Health and Human Services | Operate federal health insurance exchanges; regulate the health insurance market |
Focus |
|---|
Public health |
Research and development |
Hospitals and emergency care |
Health insurance |
Health insurance in the US is available through various avenues. The primary way Americans get insurance is privately through employers. Publicly funded options include Medicare (primarily for people 65 and older), Medicaid (for low-income individuals), and plans available for active-duty military members and veterans. The Affordable Care Act expanded access to Medicaid and established an online marketplace where people could buy private coverage.
Data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that the decrease occurred in every state, though some states had larger changes than others.