Washington state’s Medicaid spending has quintupled, or increased five times over, since the 2013-15 biennium, according to an analysis by The Center Square.
Along with that increased spending, the number of those on Medicaid has climbed, though some health care experts note that despite this increased spending Washington continues to undercompensate medical providers who treat Medicaid patients.
In the 2013-15 operating budget, Washington state spent $7.85 billion on Medicaid. Spending was evenly split between the federal government and the state. As part of the Medicaid expansion, the federal government offered to cover 100% of the expansion costs for the first three years, then decrease it on a sliding scale to 90%.
Washington state was planning to spend $42 billion on Medicaid in the 2025-27 biennium, with $26 billion coming from the feds. However, with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Act seeking to reduce both funding and the number of people on Medicaid in Washington state, some healthcare experts warn that Washington taxpayers can expect to hear calls for more taxes to cover the lost funding.
“Taxpayers are going to start hearing why we need to increase the tax revenue because of that bill passing,” Washington Policy Center Healthcare Center Director Elizabeth New told The Center Square.”
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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