Ohio Medicaid spending less than expected

Ohio spent $590 million less than expected on Medicaid in the state budget year that ended in June, officials said (Source: "Ohio spends less than expected on Medicaid," Canton Repository, Dec. 28, 2012).

And since June, the state has spent about $6.2 billion on the program, about $219 million less than anticipated. Officials credit the savings to reforms to the program including changes to how providers are reimbursed and claims are processed. 

The growth rate for the program, which accounts for more than 3 percent of Ohio's total economy, will be a factor as officials considered in the coming months, whether to expand eligibility to the program under the ACA.