Sen. Coburn: Medicaid Costs Up 31,213 Percent Since Start

Sen. Tom Coburn, who releases an annual report on government waste, is now tackling the skyrocketing costs of federal health programs. He fears Obamacare will be next to join the club.

Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, uses government figures for his analysis, and says Medicaid costs have risen 31,212.5 percent since the program's inception in 1966.

Costs of other programs in the report also have risen sharply over the years:

• Medicare: 16,750 percent
• Defense Health Programs: 1,345 percent
• Veterans Medical Care: 4,500 percent
• Other federal health programs: 8,490.9 percent

Appearing Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren,"  Coburn noted that the cost of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, already has doubled since its inception.

The Congressional Budget Office now projects the ACA will cost $2 trillion over the next 10 years. The initial projection in 2010 was $1 trillion.

"Based on a review of the facts, readers have solid ground for concluding the federal government has a poor track record of constraining healthcare spending over time," Coburn writes in the report.

"Accordingly, in light of the reality of past trends, concern about the trajectory of the future healthcare spending — whether in the ACA, Medicare, Medicaid, or other programs — is well placed."

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