Wis. officials say Medicaid funding will need to rise $650M over two years

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Taxpayers Need To Pay Nearly $650 Million More In Medicaid Costs
Taxpayers need to chip in about $650 million more toward state health care programs for the poor and elderly during the next two-year budget cycle, Gov. Scott Walker's administration said Tuesday. The additional sums are needed because of rising health care costs, more people joining the programs, increased use of services by those in the programs and a lowering aid rate from the federal government. The funding request is for Medicaid programs, which are paid for jointly by state and federal taxpayers and cover nursing home stays and programs such as BadgerCare Plus for low-income people and Family Care for the elderly and disabled (Marley, 9/18).

In the meantime, Oregon's governor looks for ways to stem Medicaid spending growth --

CQ HealthBeat: Bequeath To Future Generations Health Spending That's Under Control, Kitzhaber Urges Boomers
Can Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber nudge his fellow Democrats closer to embracing an approach that caps Medicaid spending growth? One might think so judging by his remarks Tuesday at a forum sponsored by the left-leaning Center for American Progress, which showcased his state's new law to tackle runaway Medicaid spending by retooling its health care delivery system. Kitzhaber, who is a doctor, was outspoken and impassioned in a way few of his fellow Democrats are right now about the moral imperative to chop Medicaid and Medicare spending growth and to not pour money into a broken health care system. He said fixing health care costs is something baby boomers must take on and get done for future generations (Reichard, 9/18).