Jun 7 2011
According to NPR, 15 states are trying to cut back on their Medicaid spending. Meanwhile, a California lawsuit, in which patients and providers are suing the state over changes to the program, is moving forward.
NPR: 15 States Try To Cut Back On Medicaid Programs
Medicaid provides health care to people with low incomes, who also meet certain other categories. And while the federal government pays more than half of the bill, the share the states pay consumes 22 percent of the average state's budget. That's more than they pay for education, transportation or other large budget items (Rovner and Montagne, 6/7).
Politico: Calif. Medicaid Cuts Pit HHS Vs. DOJ
Much of the health policy world was stunned when acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal filed an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case on May 26 arguing against Medicaid patients and providers suing California over changes to its Medicaid program (Feder, 6/7).
Related KHN coverage: The Other Health Care Lawsuit: California Medicaid Case Headed To Supreme Court (Chase, 6/2).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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