Runaway Medicaid Spending: A Threat to Health Care for the Poor? November 7, 2008

Host: American Enterprise Institute. Even though Medicaid takes a back seat to Social Security and Medicare in most discussions of entitlement reform and financing, as a report of the Office of the Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) points out, it is the largest source of general revenue spending for health care for both the federal and state governments. Because of this, the rapid growth in Medicaid spending in future years will present a major challenge for state and federal officials.

Why is Medicaid spending expected to grow faster than other health spending? This and other questions about the future of the program will be addressed at this event by CMS chief actuary Richard Foster; Christopher Truffer, the principal author of the 2008 Actuarial Report on the Financial Outlook for Medicaid; and CMS acting administrator Kerry Weems. John Holahan, a Medicaid expert and the director of the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, will discuss the report’s findings. AEI’s Robert B. Helms will moderate.

Official Website: http://www.aei.org/events/type.upcoming,eventID.1832,filter.all/event_detail.asp