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Recent estimates indicate that there has been a gradual drop in the actual percentage increase of U.S. health care costs over the last decade. For 2020, it is estimated that the yearly costs to treat patients increased by * percent. However, it is forecast that this will rise to * percent in 2021. The costs of healthcare are intrinsically linked to a country’s healthcare system.

The U.S. healthcare system

In the wake of the U.S. presidential elections in 2020 the U.S. healthcare system has been heavily criticized. The U.S. health system is a hybrid system of public and private insurances and high out of pocket costs for consumers. The United States has some of the highest public and private spending on healthcare globally. Consumers themselves are also spending a significant amount on healthcare out-of-pocket. Yearly out-of-pocket health care payments have been increasing significantly in recent years.

The politicization of U.S. health care

Since 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has mandated that most U.S. residents must be covered by some form of health insurance and has provided a marketplace for people to shop for affordable options. The share of U.S. Americans without health insurance has decreased over the last several years. However, health insurance policy is still a hotly debated topic in current politics. In a recent online poll, a majority of respondents indicated that they have a favorable opinion of the ACA. There is a fairly strong political split in opinions on health policy. Another recent survey shows that a majority of democrat respondents strongly disapproved of President Trump’s management of health care issues while a majority of Republican respondents approved of his management of health care.