Medicaid’s Future

This infographic highlights Medicaid’s role in covering veterans and facilitating their access to health care.

This issue brief provides an overview of Medicaid’s role in financing behavioral health services. It includes information on eligibility, benefits, service delivery, access to care, and spending. It also discusses the potential impact of Medicaid restructuring as proposed in the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

The Kaiser Family Foundation held a media-only conference call Tuesday, June 27, with key experts to explain the Senate Republican health bill and to answer questions about its implications and the CBO’s scoring of the bill. During the call, Kaiser’s experts  answered reporters’ questions about the bill’s potential impact and…

Three-Quarters of the Public, Including Most Republicans, View Medicaid Favorably; Most Oppose Federal Funding Cuts to States As the Senate prepares to vote on the Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and cap federal Medicaid funding, a new Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll finds most Americans…

As the Senate prepares to vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and limit federal Medicaid funding, a new Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll finds the Affordable Care Act itself remains far more popular than the bill that would replace it. A majority of Republicans, however, continue to support the Republican plan, though by a significantly narrower margin than last month. Furthermore, the Tracking Poll finds that the most of the public – regardless of partisanship – holds favorable views of Medicaid.

Under a per capita cap, per enrollee spending would be capped, but the total amount of federal dollars to states could vary with enrollment changes and states would not be able to impose enrollment caps. Faced with restrictions in federal financing, states would have to make hard choices. This brief outlines the key measures states could use to manage their budgets and the associated challenges under a per capita cap: raise taxes or make other cuts, reduce benefits, limit coverage of high cost enrollees, reduce rates or implement delivery system reforms, and promote personal responsibility. Each option has challenges that are identified in the brief.

This issue brief considers the feasibility of realizing substantial Medicaid cost savings through strategies aimed at improving delivery system and administrative efficiency. We review the literature about the potential for Medicaid cost savings from four strategies related to acute care services: (1) premiums, cost-sharing, and enrollee wellness incentives, (2) complex care management, (3) patient-centered medical homes, and (4) alternative payment models, and another four strategies related to long-term services and supports: (5) tightening financial eligibility rules for long-term care services, (6) promoting private long-term care insurance, (7) expanding home and community-based services (HCBS), and (8) increasing use of managed long-term services and supports.

This infographic highlights Medicaid’s role for nursing home care. It includes information about the nation’s growing long term care need and the role Medicaid plays as the primary payer for nursing home care. It also discusses the potential impact of proposals to limit federal Medicaid financing.

Medicaid currently provides federal matching funds with no pre-set limit to help states cover children with behavioral health needs. Restructuring Medicaid financing as proposed in the American Health Care Act could limit states’ ability to care for these children. The following series of graphics highlights Medicaid’s role for children with behavioral health needs.

President Trump and other GOP leaders have called for far-reaching changes to Medicaid, including caps and reductions in federal funding for the program. This snapshot provides data on the role Medicaid plays for different population groups as well as perspectives from individuals with coverage through the program. Medicaid, the nation’s public health insurance program for low-income children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, covers 1 in 5 Americans, including many with complex and costly needs for medical care and long-term services. Most people covered by Medicaid would be uninsured or underinsured without it. The AHCA would fundamentally change Medicaid in the most significant restructuring of the program since 1965.