Kaiser Issue Brief Examines Medicaid Spending by Category, State

A new issue brief by the Kaiser Family Foundation looks at the state variation in Medicaid spending per enrollee, broken down into categories of seniors and people with disabilities versus other populations. The brief comes in response to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) which passed out of the House and is undergoing review in the Senate. The AHCA seeks to restructure Medicaid funding, imposing an upper limit based on per enrollee spending, rather than the current structure of an open-ended entitlement. 

 

The report finds that seniors and people with disabilities accounted for twenty-three percent of Medicaid enrollment, but sixty-four percent of program spending in FY2011. Children with disabilities and nonelderly adults with disabilities each account for a share of program spending that is approximately three times greater than their share of program enrollment. Seniors account for approximately double their share of enrollment. 

 

The report includes a table of state-specific information on per enrollee spending for children with disabilities, nonelderly adults with disabilities, and seniors, as well as noting the optional HCBS services operating in the state.