Health care spending growth has moderated in recent years, but it’s still putting tremendous strain on state and local governments. A recent analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts revealed that it consumed 31 percent of state and local government revenue in 2013, nearly doubling from 1987.

But Medicaid — the state-based health care program for low-income Americans — is not the chief culprit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/upshot/dont-blame-medicaid-for-rise-in-health-care-spending.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_up_20150804&nl=upshot&nlid=71924083&ref=headline&_r=0&abt=0002&abg=1