By Phillip Reese, KFF Health News

The health care sector is a bright spot in the economy this year, driving nearly half of the nation’s employment gains, but economists and experts say immigration crackdowns and looming Medicaid cuts pose a threat to future job growth.

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Employers added 487,000 jobs from January to August, according to the latest nonfarm payroll data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The health care sector accounted for 48% of that lackluster growth, expanding by about 232,000 jobs, even though the sector employs only about 11% of workers.

“On the labor side, health care growth is driving the economy,” said Stanford economics professor Neale Mahoney.

Economists say President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and cuts to public insurance programs t

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