That big cut to Medicaid that Republicans swear isnt part of their health care legislation would get even bigger in the future, a new government report predicts.

In fact, by 2036, the federal government would be spending 35 percent less on Medicaid than it would if current laws remained in place, according to the projection.

The report, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office published Thursday afternoon, comes with the usual uncertainty that goes with figuring out trends in the economy and health care spending so far into the future.

But few experts doubt that, if enacted, the GOP health bill would cause the federal contribution to Medicaid to taper off over time, falling further and further behind what it would cost to maintain todays level of benefits for everybody who qualifies for the program.

Over the next decade ... a large gap would grow between Medicaid spending under current law and under this bill, the CBO report states.