Government

The federal government will foot most of the bill to pay for the Medicaid expansion. Normally states are responsible for Medicaid, the public health insurance program for the poor, but under the new law, the federal government will pay 90 percent of the costs for the expansion in the first three years. After that it’s up to the states. However, the Supreme Court ruled on June 28, 2013 that states can refuse to participate in the expansion.

Medicare, the public health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, is often singled out as being the biggest contributor to the nation’s rising health care bill. Whether that’s true or not, the Affordable Care Act includes some provisions to help curb the soaring costs of Medicare, like cracking down on fraud and waste in the system.