What does "toss" mean?

[joyapple]

(In the USA, toss in Medicaid grows. )

What does toss mean here?

[Tdol]

I'm not sure, but it could mean nothing- I don't give a toss= I couldn't care less.
Could you give some more context?

[BobK]

Maybe it's an acronym - let's wait for an AmE answerer.

b

[Philly]

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I'd say the sentence is simply wrong.
It sounds to me as if someone read something in the current issue of Newsweek (e.g.) and shortened a sentence that they didn't really understand to begin with. And the result was the meaningless sentence posted.
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toss in = add
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By 2030 the projected costs of Social Security and Medicare could easily consume—via higher taxes—a third of workers' future wage and salary increases. Toss in Medicaid (which covers nursing home care and isn't included in the trustees' reports) and the bite grows. We're mortgaging workers' future pay gains for baby boo
mers' retirement benefits.
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source

[Rowan]

It just confuses me.
I can't see its meaning here.
So sorry that I can't help you.
Let's wait for the moderator to straighten us out.

[MikeNewYork]

(In the USA, toss in Medicaid grows. )

What does toss mean here?

I have no idea either.

If this is not an error, which it may well be, "toss in" might refer to the government continuing to throw money into the program rather than making any attempts to control the cost. This would be similar to tossing money into a fountain or a fund-raising bucket.

But that is just a wild guess.

[Ouisch]

I believe that Philly was correct, and that the original post was referring to portions of a Newsweek article.

In that context, the columnist is lamenting about the various taxes and deductions that are currently taken out of a person's paycheck, as well as those that will be deducted in the future.

When the Baby Boomers start reaching retirement age, that means a lot of the U.S. population that will simultaneously require additional medical care, and possibly nursing home treatment. In order to prepare for that eventuality, the columnist is projecting that there will be higher taxes taken out of workers' paychecks today, including additional Medicaid ("toss in" Medicaid, meaning "include Medicaid along with the other taxes in this equation") to pay for the perpetual care requirements of Alzheimer's Disease patients. (Currently it is estimated that 50% of people age 85 and older suffer from Alzheimer's Disease.) By the year 2030, 20 percent of the US population will be age 65 or older. So unless other solutions are found, huge amounts of money (in the form of payroll taxes) will be needed from younger workers to pay for us older folks.

[MikeNewYork]

I agree. I missed Philly's post.

[joyapple]

(toss in = add
.
By 2030 the projected costs of Social Security and Medicare could easily consume—via higher taxes—a third of workers' future wage and salary increases. Toss in Medicaid (which covers nursing home care and isn't included in the trustees' reports) and the bite grows. We're mortgaging workers' future pay gains for baby boo
mers' retirement benefits. )

I think Philly is right. It should come from a News week article. Then is "toss in" a verbal phrase or noun phrase?

[Philly]

... the columnist is projecting that there will be higher taxes taken out of workers' paychecks today, including additional Medicaid ("toss in" Medicaid, meaning "include Medicaid along with the other taxes in this equation") to pay for the perpetual care requirements of Alzheimer's Disease patients.

Hi joyapple
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Ouisch explained the sentence in her post. (I've quoted part of it above.)
Toss in is used as a verb and means add or include.
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Another way to word the sentence might be:
If you add ("toss in") Medicaid costs to the taxes already mentioned in the calculation, the tax burden will grow.
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