Following is a special report prepared by the Washington Office of the American Medical Association.—Ed.
FEDERAL MEDICAL-HEALTH SPENDING FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1957
This is our fourth annual report on the federal medical budget. To the extent we can make it so, it is a factual, objective study of how much the U. S. government is spending this fiscal year in all health and medical fields. We are dealing with money that has been appropriated and currently is available to be spent. This special report is based on the actual appropriations, and on information obtained directly from federal agencies and departments.When talking in billions of dollars, it is often difficult to make the totals meaningful. However, here are some conclusions:What the federal government is spending in health fields alone represents an average cost of $15.17 per man, woman, and child ( Population, family-size, and