The Republican governors vowing to opt out of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion argue the program is already burdening cash-strapped state governments and would be a poison pill for state budgets in the long run. Are they right?
When you look at all spending on state programs—including money from both federal and state governments—Medicaid is the single largest expenditure, at 22 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
But when you isolate what states themselves have to put into Medicaid, the fiscal picture changes: Across the country, 16 percent of state general fund dollars go toward Medicaid, less than half of what states spend on K-12 education:
MORE: GOP governors say Medicaid costs are already breaking states’ backs. Are they right?.