Without Entitlement Reform, Federal Spending Could Consume One-Half of the Economy by 2056

The major entitlements—Medicare, Medicaid, the Obamacare subsidy program, and Social Security— are on track to push spending to unsustainable levels. These programs must be reformed in order to improve the long-term budget outlook.

PERCENTAGE OF GDP

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Without Entitlement Reform, Federal Spending Could Consume One-Half of the Economy by 2056
Source: Congressional Budget Office (Alternative Fiscal Scenario).
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In Depth

  • Policy Papers for Researchers

  • Technical Notes

    The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except... Read More

  • Authors

    Emily Goff Research Assistant
    Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies Kathryn Nix Policy Analyst
    Center for Health Policy Studies John Fleming Senior Data Graphics Editor