Unable to impassively watch as health care spending spiraled upward, federal health care planners imposed an armada of regulations on the manner in which health care was provided to Medicare and Medicaid patients. The reg- ulatory binge in . health care since the 1970s has produced nearly 50 kinds of federal and state health services’ regulations, which by 2002 was costing roughly $340 billion, about 20% of total health spending of $1,560 billion. More promising recent reforms emphasize a return to consumer-directed health spending in which consumers who spend less on their health benefit directly. Health Savings Accounts made their debut in 2002. Early.
