https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2012/12/02/obamacares-medicaid-time-bomb/feed/HotAir is the leading conservative blog for breaking news and commentary covering the Biden administration, politics, media, culture, and current elections.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 09:38:27 -0400<![CDATA[Medicaid already consumes a quarter of state budgets, on average. In some states it’s either the single largest budget item, or second only to education. Even if states decline to expand Medicaid, other provisions of Obamacare, including the requirement to purchase insurance or face a penalty, will swell Medicaid rolls. The program’s expenses have also soared in the past few years. State Medicaid outlays jumped 20 percent in the last fiscal year on top of a 23 percent increase in the year before that, according to a report from the bipartisan National Governors’ Association. Expanding Medicaid further will put even greater pressure on states already struggling with future deficits and looming pension shortfalls. Whether it’s at the federal or state level, it’s ultimately taxpayers who will wind up paying.]]>Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:00:59 -0500<![CDATA[Erika Johnsen]]>https://hotair.com/headlines/2012/12/02/obamacares-medicaid-time-bomb-n97959