Amid Budget Woes, States May Look to Medicaid for Savings

Budget challenges may lead some states to seek changes in their Medicaid programs aimed at saving money. Or so reports Fitch Ratings, the bond rating company. According to Fitch, health care was the biggest driver in rising state spending between 2005 and 2015 and the portion of state spending on health and social services will increase from 30.7 percent in 2015 to 38.3 percent in 2025. Among the measures states will turn to in an effort to manage rising health care costs, according to Fitch, are Medicaid work requirements, reductions in Medicaid retroactive coverage, new Medicaid premiums, and lifetime limits [...]