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Financing the Medicaid Program: The Impact of Federal Fiscal Relief, April 2004 This fact sheet summarizes why federal fiscal relief to states was granted in 2003, including additional money for Medicaid; the impact of the relief in easing state budgetary pressure; and what may occur in the states after the fiscal relief expires in June 2004. Fact Sheet (.pdf)
In this report we examine how ten states from around the nation have responded to their budget crises in fiscal year 2004. While states vary in the depth of the budget pressures they faced, as state revenues remained depressed, all were required to make difficult choices among spending reductions, tax increases, or other revenue measures. In general, we found states with few exceptions relied on targeted revenue measures, such as cigarette and alcohol taxes, but…
Is the State Fiscal Crisis Over? A 2004 State Budget Update - Issue Brief This paper, which updates a September 2003 analysis by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, finds that although the state fiscal situation is improving, states are by no means out of the woods yet. Issue Brief (.pdf)
State Budgets and Health Coverage: An Update on FY 2004 and Beyond New reports released at a January 28, 2004 briefing updating a survey on Medicaid budget trends, the future fiscal outlook of states, and case studies of ten states and their budget conditions. Webcast of January 28, 2004 Briefing News Release Report: States Respond to Fiscal Pressure: A 50-State Update of State Medicaid Spending Growth and Cost Containment Actions Issue Brief: Is the State…
News on Medicaid and State Budgets – September and October 2003 State Budget News (.pdf) Additional news on Medicaid and state budgets
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured released three new reports today on how states are coping with the fourth year of fiscal stress. The third annual survey of the 50 states reveals a far-reaching impact on health coverage for low-income families at a time when enrollment is increasing due to sluggish economic conditions. Some of the findings from the reports include: Medicaid spending growth slowed for first time in 7 years. For 2003…
The third annual survey of the 50 states and the District of Columbia reveals that all 50 states and DC implemented Medicaid cost control strategies in FY2003 and they all planned additional action for FY2004 as they cope with fiscal crisis. Report (.pdf)
The report finds that rapid Medicaid spending growth has been driven, in part, by enrollment increases resulting from the loss of income and private insurance coverage during the current economic downturn, together with continued increases in hospital and prescription drug costs that have affected the entire health care sector. Issue Paper (.pdf)
This report finds that the primary cause of the state fiscal crisis is the falloff in state tax revenue. Report (.pdf)
Medicaid is a joint federal-state program in which Federal Medicaid matching payments are projected to be $147 billion FY 2002, while state spending is estimated at about $100 billion. Because Medicaid is such a large part of state budgets and states are struggling with their overall fiscal situations, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured continues to follow developments in Medicaid progams related to state budgets. Below are the most recent publications on this…
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