Kansas Medicaid: a primer.

Medicaid is a state/federal partnership that has a significant impact on Kansas' economy, in part because Medicaid draws federal matching funds to the state. Nationally in 2004, the federal government paid for 57 percent of the $305 billion in total Medicaid expenditures. The federal government contributes approximately $1.50 for every dollar of state Medicaid spending in Kansas, a 60 percent matching rate. The matching rate varies from state to state, ranging in 2005 from $1 for every dollar of state Medicaid spending in wealthier states, such as Colorado, to $3.16 in poorer states, such as Mississippi. In Kansas, Medicaid accounts for 18.1 percent of the all-funds state budget and represents a significant portion of total spending on health care services.