Medicaid spending hits $592.2 billion in 2017, 73 million in enrollment

Medicaid spending hit $592.2 billion in 2017, with federal expenditures accounting for $370.6 billion, or 63% of that sum, according to a new federal report issued Thursday.

That’s up from $580.9 billion in 2016 when federal Medicaid spending was $368.2 billion.

The majority of spending was spent on traditional Medicaid enrollees such as children, disabled and frail individuals. The adult expansion population cost the federal government and states a total of $70.8 billion in 2017, up from $66.5 billion in 2016. An estimated 12.2 million expansion enrollees were covered in 2017 making up just under 17% of the 73.8 million total enrollees on the program that year.

Despite their small impact on program spending, CMS Administrator Seema Verma...