Medicaid to take up half of state budget by 2020, researchers predict

Researchers at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University are projectiing that as Ohio's population continues to age, Medicaid will consume half of the state’s budget by 2020 (Source: “Aging could cripple budget,” Columbus Dispatch, May 20, 2009)

In addition, Miami researchers predict that by 2040, the number of Ohioans needing long-term care will double. A new Gerontology Center report recommends expanding the services available to Ohioans in need of long-term care, including in-home services and assisted living.

"The only way to serve more people is to increase the number in lower-cost services," said Robert Applebaum, a professor and director of the center's long-term care research project.