State spending on Medicaid expected to significantly slow in short term

Growth in state spending on the Medicaid program is expected to fall significantly in the short term, according to a new report by state budget officers.

The findings, published Thursday in a report from the National Association of State Budget Officers, or NASBO, show that state Medicaid spending is expected to carry a median growth rate of 4.5 percent in fiscal 2018, and then growth is projected to slow significantly in fiscal 2019, to a median growth rate of 1.5 percent. The organization uses governors’ budgets in making its assessments.