Medicaid

The joint federal-state financing of the Medicaid program works through a matching mechanism known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). This mechanism determines the federal and state shares of Medicaid costs based on a state’s per capita personal income relative to the national average. While the FMAP formula has…

This brief summarizes the major provisions of a rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would set forth state requirements for ensuring access to care in state Medicaid programs. It would apply to fee-for-service Medicaid, but not to Medicaid managed care programs. The public comment period…

To provide individuals and families access to affordable, high-quality health care, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands Medicaid to cover low-income adults and children with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty line. Millions of low-income parents, non-disabled adults who do not have dependent children (and…

This issue brief provides an overview of what Section 1115 Medicaid waivers are, how they are approved and financed, how states have used them, and how they are impacted by health reform. For many years, Section 1115 waivers have been used by states to test new coverage approaches not otherwise…

In 2006 the CDC began recommending routine HIV testing in health care settings for everyone between the ages of 13 and 64. Annual  testing is recommended for people at highest risk. Our 2011 survey of Americans and HIV released last week — our eighth comprehensive survey of its kind — …

We are witnessing a battle in Washington right now about the future of health care’s two big public programs, Medicare and Medicaid. It’s a budget battle, it’s an ideological battle, it’s a partisan political battle, and while it might not always be obvious following the debate, it’s a high stakes…

The nine million dually eligible beneficiaries are generally poorer and sicker than other Medicare beneficiaries, tend to use more health care services, and thus account for a disproportionate share of Medicare and Medicaid spending. Because they often have complex medical and long-term care needs, and must navigate both Medicaid and…

This fact sheet discusses the role played by the enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds available to states through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and the implications for state Medicaid programs as that extra assistance expires June 30, 2011. States used the ARRA enhanced Medicaid funding to…

This policy brief outlines the challenges facing the unemployed as they seek to remain insured after losing jobs and employer-sponsored health coverage. In May 2011, 13.9 million people in the U.S. were unemployed. Of these, 6.2 million had been unemployed for six months or more and faced limited options to…

This analysis provides an overview of online applications for Medicaid and/or CHIP and examines the extent to which they incorporate features that streamline and simplify the enrollment process for individuals. Thirty-two states currently offer an online application for one or both of these programs that is accessible by the public…