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This annual 50-state survey finds that number of people on Medicaid and state spending on the program are climbing sharply as a result of the recession, straining state budgets and pressuring officials to curb costs despite increased financial help from the federal government through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores Medicaid, the primary U.S. program providing comprehensive coverage of health care and long-term services and supports to about 80 million low-income people. Originating in 1965 and expanding with the Affordable Care Act, the chapter reviews Medicaid's evolution, including 2025 changes, and its joint federal and state financing and administration. It discusses how state-level flexibility in managing Medicaid leads to variation in coverage, spending, health care delivery, and access across different states.
This issue brief describes trends in health coverage in 2023, examines the characteristics of the uninsured population ages 0-64, and summarizes the access and financial implications of not having coverage.
The State Children's Health Insurance Program, enacted as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, provides over $20 billion in federal funds over five years to cover low-income uninsured children. This policy brief examines how many children will participate and the public costs per covered child.
Part 5 Appendix Table 1: Medicaid Eligibility Levels for Pregnant Women and Children Pregnant Women, Infants and Children(as of May 20, 1998) Other Eligibility Categories Pregnant Women and Infants Children Under Age 6 Children Ages 6 to 14 Children Ages 14 to 19 Asset Test Required for Children (4) Max.
Medicaid plays a major role in covering more of the uninsured under the new health reform law. The new law includes a significant expansion of Medicaid, an individual requirement to obtain health insurance, and subsidies to help low-income individuals buy coverage through newly established Health Benefit Exchanges.
Part 2 Even when insurance is offered to low-wage workers, its costs to these workers may be substantial, and, for some, a barrier to coverage. In 1996, workers had to contribute an average of $1,615 per year for family coverage, or about 30% of the total premium.
Most Americans oppose the idea of converting Medicaid to block grant financing to reduce the federal deficit, and more than half want to see no reductions at all in Medicaid spending.
Immigrants' Access to Health Care After Welfare Reform: Findings from Focus Groups in Four Cities A new analysis of focus groups in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Antonio reveal immigrants' knowledge of and attitudes toward public programs such as Medicaid and CHIP.
As 2010 draws to a close, the latest tracking poll shows the public still divided in their views of the health reform law, a sentiment largely unchanged since the law’s enactment in March.
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