Medical spending information released from the federal government this week indicated that a record $2.1 trillion was spent in 2006 for health care in the U.S. Yes, that's trillion with a 't.' Excuse me, but is that number unbelievably high?

The $2.1 trillion figure was 7 percent higher than in 2005, and although the 2006 figure indicates that health care spending is actually slowing down from just a decade ago, it may be headed for higher ground in the near future.

Why on earth are we spending so much on health care in the U.S.? Although the $2.1 trillion figure includes everything from insurance to individual spending and from local to federal government spending, the figure is still astounding.

The U.S. population hasn't doubled in the last decade, nor will it double by 2016. However, by 2016, the figure is estimated to hit $4.1 trillion (PDF link) from 2006's $2.1 trillion. That's one meaty decade for health care expenditures.

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Do you think about health insurance like you do auto insurance? That is the comparison California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants residents of his state to think about.

Early this year, the go-vern-a-tor wanted all Californians to have health coverage by spreading the cost among individuals, businesses, hospitals, insurers and the government.

To a point, this kind of socialized medicine would make health care cheaper and more accessible for millions. For those that are small business owners and those who don't like to subsidize costs for others, this is probably not a plan that has a fan. Something has to be done, though. American health care is the joke of the civilized world in many respects.

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Are you ready for a healthy increase in the cost of health care in the next ten years or so? If you're over 50, it's predicted that the cost of caring for your age group may add 25% the nation's health care bill by 2030, according to recent figures released by the CDC a few days ago.

Although that is 23 years away, people need to act now to stay healthy if they want to avoid these large cost increases, warns the CDC, which said 80% of Americans 65 or older have at least one chronic disease that could lead to premature death and disability.

By 2030, it is projected that 71 million Americans will be over 65 and will account for 20% percent of the U.S. population. That's quite a bit of health care to take care of -- with the cost of caring for older Americans at three- to five-times greater than care for younger adults. I can't even imagine the cost figure in 23 years based on these statistics -- can you?

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Are Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) known for excellent access to affordable health care? Not likely, according to many people I have spoken with in recent years. While the "affordable" part of the equation may be true, the "quality" part is not. But, according to a new study, HMO participants could save money but participating in exercise programs.

But, what is HMOs gave the opportunity for customers to participate in a subsidized community-based exercise program? Would that help lessen the health care costs since this would most likely mean healthier clients? Probably so.

Dr. Huong Q. Nguyen -- of the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington -- said that "these findings warrant additional investigations to determine whether policies to offer and promote a community-based physical activity benefit in older adults with diabetes can reduce health care costs."

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That title is no misnomer - -that figure is $2 trillion (as in "t"). Just a few years ago -- in 2005 -- health care spending was at its lowest level since 1999 -- but now, it seems clear that health care costs are being forced in greater amounts onto citizens themselves.

In 2005 alone, U.S. spending on medical care set a new record of $1.99 trillion -- almost 2,000 billion dollars (or $2 trillion). In that unbelievable amount, it represented about 16% of the nation's economic output. Forget most industries -- combined. Health care spending trumped them all, including iPods and plasma TVs.

And the cost splits? At this time, it is estimated that federal and state governments shoulder about 40% of all health bills, while citizens pay for 31% of those costs using mostly private insurance premiums and other "out of pocket" costs.

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