Nearly everyone who receives health care in the United States benefits from a government subsidy. Federal, state, and local governments assist in paying for the health coverage of nearly every American through a variety of subsidies, tax deductions, and tax exemptions.
Major programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare receive perhaps the most attention, but those programs combined cover less than 45 percent of Americans. In 2024, federal, state, and local governments paid at least 58 percent of all health spending, amounting to $3.1 trillion.
Employers and individuals spent another $2.2 trillion, though about three-quarters of that amount was supported by tax exemptions.
Here’s a look at all the ways taxpayers defray the cost of health care, and all the people who benefit from it….

Nearly everyone who receives health care in the United States benefits from a government subsidy. Federal, state, and local governments assist in paying for the health coverage of nearly every American through a variety of subsidies, tax deductions, and tax exemptions.
Major programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare receive perhaps the most attention, but those programs combined cover less than 45 percent of Americans. In 2024, federal, state, and local governments paid at least 58 percent of all health spending, amounting to $3.1 trillion.
Employers and individuals spent another $2.2 trillion, though about three-quarters of that amount was supported by tax exemptions.
Here’s a look at all the ways taxpayers defray the cost of health care, and all the people who benefit from it….