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Medicaid Watch

Featuring policy research, polling and news about how Medicaid is changing, and the impact of those changes due to the tax and spending cuts law

budget reconciliation

Map shows the percentage point increase in the uninsured population due to the budget reconciliation package based on CBO estimates, by state. An Additional 10M People Nationwide Could be Uninsured in 2034 Due to the Budget Reconciliation Law

How Will the 2025 Reconciliation Law Affect the Uninsured Rate in Each State?

This analysis apportions the increase in the number of uninsured across the 50 states and DC. CBO estimates that the reconciliation law will increase the number of uninsured by 10 million in 2034. That number would rise to over 14 million if enhanced premium tax credits for ACA Marketplace enrollees expire later this year.

MEDICAID CUTS

Medicaid and work

Understanding the Intersection of Medicaid and Work

Data show that, in 2023, 92% of Medicaid adults were either working full or part-time (64%), or were not working due to barriers to work such as caregiving responsibilities, illness or disability, or school attendance -- reasons that counted as qualifying exemptions from the work requirements under previous policies.

understanding medicaid

5 Facts: Medicaid and Immigrants

Confusion persists about immigrants’ eligibility for federal programs. This brief helps readers understand how current Medicaid policy affects immigrants as well as the potential impacts of policy changes under the Trump administration.

5 Facts: Medicaid and Rural Areas

Approximately 66 million people live in rural areas – about 20% of the U.S. population. Nearly 1 in 4 of them have Medicaid, a higher share than in urban areas (24% vs 21%).

5 Facts: Medicaid and Hospitals

Absorbing reductions in Medicaid spending could be challenging for hospitals, particularly for those that are financially vulnerable. This brief provides data on the reach of Medicaid across hospitals, patients, and charity care.

5 Facts: Provider Taxes

All states except Alaska cover some state Medicaid costs with taxes on health care providers. This brief uses data from KFF’s 2024-2025 survey of Medicaid directors to describe current practices and the federal rules governing them.

5 Facts: Nursing Facilities

Amid debates about federal Medicaid cuts, which could cause states to lower Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing facilities, this brief explains how Medicaid supports nursing facilities and the people living in them.

Latest News

More KFF Health News

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  • Medicaid State Fact Sheets

    Feature

    What percentage of people are covered by Medicaid in your state? Our State Medicaid fact sheets provide a snapshot with key data for Medicaid in every state related to current coverage, access, and financing, as well as a politics section for each state.

  • Implications of Congress Eliminating Major Biden Era Regulations for Medicaid

    Policy Watch

    The Biden administration finalized several major Medicaid regulations with the intent of improving access to Medicaid services. Collectively, the rules span hundreds of pages of text, are extremely complex, and were set to be implemented over several years, with measurable increases in federal Medicaid spending. Overturning the rules would reduce regulation of managed care companies, nursing facilities, and other providers; increase barriers to enrolling in and renewing Medicaid coverage, and roll back enrollee protections, payment transparency, and requirements for improved access.

  • On Medicaid Expansion, History Matters

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman discusses the history of the battles over the ACA’s provisions that were designed to expand coverage for the uninsured, which helps explain the effort to cut federal funding for the Medicaid expansion today. The real underlying issues, he says, are the same divisions that have always plagued the debate about covering the uninsured.

  • Medicaid Covers at Least One in Five Hospital Inpatient Days in Nearly Every State

    Issue Brief

    This analysis examines the share of inpatient hospital days that are covered by Medicaid nationally and by state at a time when Congress is considering potential cuts to the program. It finds that Medicaid covered at least one in five inpatient hospital days in 48 states and the District of Columbia in 2023.

  • KFF examines and compares states across a range of measures that may make it harder for states to respond to potential federal Medicaid cuts.

    Responding to Federal Medicaid Reductions: Which States Are Most at Risk?

    Issue Brief

    A new KFF analysis examines a range of measures that may make it harder for states to respond to possible federal Medicaid cuts and finds that six states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, and West Virginia) rank in the top five for multiple risk categories. Across four broad categories of measures that could affect demand for Medicaid and states’ abilities to raise revenue or reduce spending—population demographic characteristics, health status of Medicaid enrollees, available revenue and state budget choices, and health care costs and access to care—KFF finds that 15 states rank in the top five for at least one category of risk factors.

  • States that were approved under the Biden administration "HRSN framework," as well as states that received approval for DSHP funding authority.

    Section 1115 Waiver Watch: Early Signs Point to New Directions Under Trump Administration

    Issue Brief

    Recent actions from the Trump administration could signal limits to curtail Medicaid waivers related to social determinants of health and to limit waiver financing tools and flexibility. Two major changes demonstrate this shift: (1) rescinding Biden-era guidance on covering health-related social needs (HRSN) services, and (2) phasing out federal funding for “Designated State Health Programs” (DSHP) in waivers.