A long hoped-for recovery in state fiscal prospects is nowhere in sight, and lawmakers are making deep cuts in education and healthcare for the poor, a report released Thursday by the National Conference of State Legislatures says. Other areas getting hit include prisons, state employee benefits and wages, and environmental programs. more

Governors attending an annual midwinter meeting of state chief executives in Washington, D.C. are pleased that Medicaid -- one of the states biggest budget busters -- is atop the federal agenda. But a number of them are expressing concern over the long-term fiscal effects of the Bush administration's proposed reforms. more

As most states wrestle to close mounting budget deficits, their governors will gather in Washington, D.C., this weekend for meetings focusing on implementing new federal education legislation and reforming Medicaid to shift the burden of spiraling healthcare costs. more

January 14 - Halfway through fiscal year 2003, nearly every state has targeted health insurance programs for the poor, elderly and disabled to balance severe budget deficits, and two-thirds of those states are on their second round of such cuts. more

Because of rapidly rising healthcare costs and shrinking tax revenues, states are finding it increasingly difficult to pay for their share of Medicaid, a joint federal-state program that provides health insurance for 45 million low-income Americans. Thats the one cost states cant handle, said Michigan Gov. John Engler (R), at the National Governors Association summer meeting in Boise, Idaho. more