AI-assisted summary

Debates over public finances at both federal and state levels are often driven by rising health care costs.

Politicians frequently focus on shifting health care costs to different payers rather than reducing the overall expense.

Government subsidies and tax exclusions significantly widen the gap between the price consumers pay and the total cost of health care.

In 2024, health care expenditures accounted for 25% of the federal budget, a sharp increase from just 2% in 1950.

RALEIGH — While the government shutdown in Washington and the state budget impasse in Raleigh involve different actors and effects, there is a common denominator: the extent to which debates about public finance are really debates about health care costs.

When Democrats in Congress refused to su

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