California HealthCare Foundation has released its annual Health Care Costs 101 Snapshot, a visual representation of costs and financing trends over the past decade, as well as predictions of future costs. Taken from several public and private data sources, the presentation is a valuable overview of health care financing issues in California and the nation.

Health Care Costs 101 includes details on:

• National health spending as a share of gross domestic product;
• Per capita health costs nationwide;
• Spending distribution by health care categories;
• Who pays for health care;
• Historic payment sources (federal, state, and private);
• Spending allocations on health services;
• Trends on annual health care growth rates; and
• Prescription drug cost trends.