Congress Must Cut and Reform Medicaid

Michael F. Cannon, Krit Chanwong, and Dominik Lett

Medicaid subsidizes medical care for low-income individuals and long-term care for many not-so-low-income individuals. After Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid is the nation’s third-largest government entitlement program. In 2025, states and the federal government will spend some $873 billion on Medicaid, exceeding national defense appropriations.

States operate Medicaid with federal funding subject to federal rules. Those...