Spending includes both state and federal payments to Medicaid. These figures represent the average (mean) level of payments across all Medicaid enrollees. Spending per enrollee does not include disproportionate share hospital payments (DSH).

Some enrollees are only eligible for a limited set of benefits. A small fraction of elderly and disabled enrollees in every state qualify only for assistance with their Medicare premiums and coinsurance. In 2004, a few states also had waivers that allowed them to enroll relatively large numbers of people in Medicaid-funded programs for family planning-related services or prescription drug coverage.

The Urban Institute and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates based on data from Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS) reports from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 2009.

Enrollees: Individuals who participate in Medicaid for any length of time during the federal fiscal year. They may not actually use any services during this period, but they are reported as enrolled in the program and are eligible to receive services in at least one month. Enrollees are presumed to be unduplicated (each person is only counted once).

Federal Fiscal Year: Unless otherwise noted, years proceeded by "FY" on statehealthfacts.org refer to the Federal Fiscal Year, which runs from October 1 through September 30. For example, FY 2009 refers to the period from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009.