U.S. Wealth WatcherCelebrating Political Fortunes
< Spending
Health & PharmaFederal spending file

Medicare

Health insurance for seniors. Paid for partly by the payroll tax taken out of every paycheck.

File · Money Read

What the money shows

The government spent $1836.7B on Medicare in 2025, which is 18% of all spending that year. Medicare outlays are up 75.5% from 2017. OMB history lists Medicare at 3.5% of federal outlays in 1970 and 18% in 2025. Department of Health and Human Services, the largest agency in this category, handles 100% of its latest outlay. The linked lobbying register category is Health & Pharma.

Sources: USAspending · OMB Historical Tables

$1.84T
Latest outlay
$18.05
Of each $100
+75%
Since FY2017
Health & Pharma
Mapped sector

Agencies spending it

Latest fiscal year, top agencies from USAspending.

Department of Health and Human Services$1.84T
Social Security Administration$0

Lobbying in this sector

Up to five leading health & pharma clients in the lobby register.

Share since 1962

OMB history plus live rows once ingested.

Bills moving money here

A sector-filtered doorway into the bills register.

Open bills in Health & Pharma >