I actually started gathering data on this a few weeks ago because I was tired of hearing conservatives rail against the poor (and implied lazy) as users of Medicaid. And then Paul Krugman wrote this nice article about it, though I wish he had included the actual numbers.
64% of the Medicaid budget goes toward care for the Aged or Blind and disabled (the CBO's categorization, not mine). That same category makes up 24% of the enrollment group. The thing that's eating up Medicaid dollars isn't poor folks, and it sure as hell isn't Mitt Romney's 47% - it's the nursing home for old folks that run out of money or the care for disabled folks that don't have a trust fund.
Average cost of a nursing home is over $50,000 per year. Let's start having honest discussions about these things. If you believe in slashing Medicaid, then you have to put this on the table. Do we just let old or disabled folks without funds wither or die without care? It sure is expensive, but thus far we've decided it's worth it. Deficit hawks need to be forced into this conversation, as it's a less comfortable one than railing against a grossly overstated population of lazy people that's sucking on government resources.
