Study: Ohio, other states to see Medicaid long-term care costs skyrocket

As the U.S. population ages in the next two decades, Medicaid spending on long-term care is expected to rise dramatically, according to a report released by America’s Health Insurance Plan, the trade association of the health care industry (Source: “Medicaid long-term health care costs to soar,” Reuters, Sept. 29, 2008).
The report predicts that long-term care for elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients would total $3.7 trillion over the next 20 years, with $1.6 trillion of that total being paid by states.

The report, State Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Care, 2008-2027, predicts that state Medicaid spending for long-term care should more than double in Ohio, from $2.4 billion this year to $5.4 billion in 2027. Ohio currently pays the third most in state Medicaid contributions for long-term care, behind only New York, California and Pennsylvania.

"Medicaid's position as the payer of last resort for long-term care -- despite the presence of long-term care insurance available in the marketplace today -- will continue to create budgetary difficulties for states and the federal government over the next two decades," the report.