Don't Lump Social Security and Health Care Together

I am all for dealing with our national debt in a timely manner.  However, whenever the topic is raised by serious policy makers, the opening statement goes something like this: "If we don't deal with the twin entitlements of Social Security and health care, they will gobble up an ever-growing share of our GDP, crowding out investment and crippling growth..."  If only these folks would take a look at the facts before they speak.

I was relieved to see this article by Dylan Matthews in The Washington Post: "Health care is crowding out everything.  Social Security isn't."  It includes a terrific chart from the Congressional Budget Office showing that while Social Security commitments will rise from around 5% of GDP to 6% through 2051, health care spending rises from 5% to 12%.  Health care spending is the 800 pound gorilla in the room where the deficits and debt reside.  The relatively minor problems posed by Social Security can be fixed with minor changes to the program's components, phased in gradually.  I wish the same could be said for health care spending.  In any case, let's stop lumping the two together in the same breath as if they share equally as causes of our debt woes, because they do not.