Report: Medicaid spending up 10 percent
Report: Medicaid spending up 10 percent
Spending by the states on Medicaid, a government-financed health-care program for the poor, soared last year and will likely continue growing despite measures to contain costs, according to a National Association of State Budget Officers report released on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Total Medicaid spending, excluding administrative costs, likely reached $398.6 billion in fiscal 2011, which ended in June for most states. That was up 10.1 percent from the year before, when spending rose 6 percent, the National Association of State Budget Officers reported. Total Medicaid spending in Iowa reached an estimated $3.58 billion, an 8.8 percent increase from fiscal 2010.
Medicaid represented nearly one-quarter of all state expenditures in fiscal 2011, a larger proportion than elementary and secondary education, which accounted for 20 percent of spending.
Based only on state general fund spending, which is backed by tax revenue, education represented 35 percent and Medicaid 17.4 percent.
States administer Medicaid with partial reimbursements from the federal government.
“The downturn in the economy has resulted in significant increases in Medicaid enrollment,” the group said. “Enrollment growth averaged 5.5 percent in fiscal 2011 with states projecting Medicaid enrollment to grow by an additional 4.1 percent in fiscal 2012.”
Spending by the states on Medicaid, a government-financed health-care program for the poor, soared last year and will likely continue growing despite measures to contain costs, according to a National Association of State Budget Officers report released on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Total Medicaid spending, excluding administrative costs, likely reached $398.6 billion in fiscal 2011, which ended in June for most states. That was up 10.1 percent from the year before, when spending rose 6 percent, the National Association of State Budget Officers reported. Total Medicaid spending in Iowa reached an estimated $3.58 billion, an 8.8 percent increase from fiscal 2010.
Medicaid represented nearly one-quarter of all state expenditures in fiscal 2011, a larger proportion than elementary and secondary education, which accounted for 20 percent of spending.
Based only on state general fund spending, which is backed by tax revenue, education represented 35 percent and Medicaid 17.4 percent.
States administer Medicaid with partial reimbursements from the federal government.
“The downturn in the economy has resulted in significant increases in Medicaid enrollment,” the group said. “Enrollment growth averaged 5.5 percent in fiscal 2011 with states projecting Medicaid enrollment to grow by an additional 4.1 percent in fiscal 2012.”
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