Health costs up nearly 6%; Medicare trustees solvency report due Monday

The cost of health care rose nearly 6 percent in the last year, according to a key indicator. In the meantime, Medicare's trustees will release its forecast on the solvency of the program on Monday.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cost Of Health Care Services Rises 5.75% Nationally
The average per capita cost of health care services covered by commercial insurance and Medicare increased 5.75 percent over the 12 months ended February 2012, according to the S&P Healthcare Economic Composite Index. Costs covered by commercial insurance plans increased 7.73 percent, as measured by the S&P Healthcare Economic Commercial Index. In contrast, Medicare claim costs rose by 2.72 percent, as measured by the S&P Healthcare Economic Medicare Index (Boulton, 4/19).

CNN Money: Social Security, Medicare Report Card On Tap
Critical to reining in the United States' long-term debt will be finding ways to control the burgeoning costs of Medicare and Social Security, both of which will face serious funding shortfalls over the next two decades. On Monday, the trustees of those programs will offer their annual update on just when those shortfalls will occur. Experts said they expect the trustees' conclusions to be similar to their findings last year. Then again, "It's like trying to predict elections. You never know," said Don Fuerst, senior pension fellow at the American Academy of Actuaries (Sahadi, 4/20).