Prognosis: Expensive

Estimates by the Administration and others of the cost of President Clinton's health-care plan have ranged from $30 billion to more than $100 billion. The true figure may turn out to be much higher. In 1965, when Medicare was created, administrators published spending estimates for the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, a key part of the program. The officials took inflation into account and projected to 1990; the chart shows how accurate they were.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE

CREDIT: [TMFONT 1 d #666666 d {Source: Department of Health and Human Services.}]CAPTION: Operating costs of the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund