The program costs about $432 billion, or 3.2% of GDP, in 2007. Medicaid is a social welfare (or social protection) program that serves about 40 million people (as of 2007) and costs about $330 billion, or 2.4% of GDP, in 2007.
plural institutes. Learner's definition of INSTITUTE. [count] : an organization created for a particular purpose (such as research or education) They founded an institute for research into the causes of mental illness. an art institute. a technical institute.
An institute is  an organisational body created for a certain purpose. Often they are research organisations (research institutions) created to do research on specific topics. An institute can also be a professional body, or one involved in adult education, see Mechanics' Institutes. In some countries institutes can be part of a university or other institutions of higher education, either as a group of departments or an autonomous educational institution without a traditional university status such as a university Institute.