A major rationale for turning over more of our health care to the government is cost savings (leave aside for now that this concept makes no sense at all). But as more people are really looking at the numbers, it's turning out that one reason we are spending more and more on health care in this country is because we can, and we want to.

A Washington Post article that explores this.

Although inappropriate care, high administrative costs, inflated prices and fraud all add to the country's gigantic medical bill, the biggest driver of the upward curve of health spending has been the discovery of new and better things to do when someone gets sick.