Medicaid spending is projected to total $339 billion in 2008, up 7.3% from 2007 levels, according to figures released by CMS October 17, 2008. Medicaid spending is expected to continue increasing by 7.9% on average over the next 10 years, reaching $674 billion by 2017, far exceeding the 4.8% projected growth rate for the general economy and pointing to continued strains on state budgets in the coming years. Additional spending details are contained in the CMS Office of the Actuary’s first annual fiscal report on Medicaid.