Medicaid

new and noteworthy

Medicaid/CHIP Monthly Enrollment Tracker

Medicaid enrollment declined by 5 million people (6%) from May 2025 through May 2026. Child enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP declined in 49 states and DC, and adult enrollment dropped in all but five states (IA, MO, NC, OK, SD). KFF's tracker presents the most recent Medicaid enrollment data by month and state.

Medicaid work requirements

Medicaid and the Road Ahead: Spending Cuts, Work Requirements and What’s Next for States, Providers and Families

Event Date:

Passed last year, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act made significant changes to Medicaid—the primary insurance provider for health and long-term care for people with low incomes. These changes are expected to lead to coverage loss for many current enrollees and will reduce funding for Medicaid, placing new financial pressures on states and health care providers. On July 23, KFF and States Newsroom hosted an event focused on the impacts of work requirements and other federal policy changes on states, health care systems, and people.

understanding medicaid

Medicaid Financing

Medicaid represents $1 out of every $5 spent on health care in the U.S. and is the major source of financing for states to provide health coverage and long-term care. This brief examines key questions about Medicaid financing and how it works.

Medicaid Program Integrity

This brief explains what is known about improper payments and fraud and abuse in Medicaid and describes ongoing state and federal actions to address program integrity.

Medicaid and Provider Taxes

All states except Alaska cover some state Medicaid costs with taxes on health care providers. This brief describes states’ current provider taxes and explores how rules governing provider taxes are changing.

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.

Medicaid Home Care

This issue brief provides an overview of what Medicaid home care (also known as “home- and community-based services”) is, who is covered, and what services were available in 2025.

Dual Eligibles

Stay informed.

Stay informed.

Filter

1,071 - 1,080 of 2,738 Results

  • The Public’s Health Care Agenda for the New Congress and Presidential Campaign, December 2006

    Poll Finding

    This Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health National Survey looks at the public's priorities and views on health issues as a new Democratic majority takes the leadership of Congress and as the 2008 presidential campaign begins to take shape. It focuses, in particular, on differences and similarities among Democrats, Republicans, and those who identify themselves as Independents or something else. The poll, conducted November 9-19, 2006, by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard…

  • Medicaid in a Declining Economy:  Limited Approaches for States to Control Spending

    Issue Brief

    Medicaid in a Declining Economy: Limited Approaches for States to Control Spending This brief analyzes results from its annual 50-state budget surveys of Medicaid directors from 2003 to 2007. The historical results describe how states adopted a wide array of Medicaid cost containment strategies during the last economic downturn and were assisted by the federal government to avoid deeper Medicaid cuts. Issue Brief (.pdf) See related material on this issue

  • Medicaid as a Platform for Broader Health Reform: Supporting High-Need and Low-Income Populations

    Issue Brief

    Medicaid is the health insurance safety net for nearly 60 million of the nation's poorest and sickest individuals. It provides access to a comprehensive scope of benefits with limited cost-sharing that is geared to meet the health needs and limited resources of the low-income, high-need populations it serves, populations for whom private coverage is often not available, not affordable or inadequate. This paper, based on years of research and analysis from the Kaiser Commission on…

  • Articles Examine Data and Issues For Expanding Integrated Care Models For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries

    Report

    As state and federal policymakers move to develop and test integrated care models for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, two new Kaiser Family Foundation articles in the June 2012 issue of Health Affairs highlight the diverse needs and challenges facing these 9 million beneficiaries, describe their current care arrangements, and raise issues to consider for proposed reforms aimed at better coordinating their care and reducing health care spending. The first highlights the diversity…

  • Long-Term Care:  Medicaid’s Role and Challenges

    Issue Brief

    Long-Term Care: Medicaid's Role and Challenges This Policy Brief examines Medicaid's role in providing long-term care services. It describes long-term care services, the population that needs these services, and how people get long-term care services. It provides an overview of health insurance coverage of persons with long-term care needs and describes both Medicare's and Medicaid's role in providing these services. It also examines some of the policy issues and challenges involved in providing long-term care…

  • Access to Care for Low-Income Women: The Impact of Medicaid

    Other Post

    Health coverage is of critical importance to low-income women. This study was undertaken to assess how low-income women with Medicaid, private insurance, or no insurance vary with regard to personal characteristics, health status, and health utilization. Data are from a telephone interview survey of a representative cross-sectional sample of 5,200 low-income women in Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. On the whole, low-income women were found to experience considerable barriers to care; however, uninsured low-income…

  • Pieces of the Puzzle

    Report

    A new report describes the Report to Congress by the Department of Health and Human Services on consumer protection and quality assurance requirements for Medicaid managed care and discusses the differences between the original Federal rule and the revised one. Report Executive Summary  

  • Section 1115 Waivers at a Glance:  Summary of Recent Medicaid and SCHIP Waiver Activity

    Other Post

    Section 1115 Waivers at a Glance: Summary of Recent Medicaid and SCHIP Waiver Activity This summary of waiver activity is part of the Commission's monitoring to provide information on how waivers are affecting the uninsured and the coverage provided to low-income Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries. It covers Section 1115 waivers submitted since August 2001. Report More information about the latest Section 1115 waiver activity, including some state fact sheets.

  • Medicaid Update: Expenditures and Beneficiaries in 1994

    Other Post

    Table 1Medicaid Beneficiaries by Group, 1988-1994 United States Beneficiaries (thousands) Average Annual Growth (%) Beneficiary Group 1988 1990 1992 1993 1994 1988-1994 1988-90 1990-92 1992-94 1988-94 All Beneficiaries 22,014 24,066 29,811 32,441 34,183 7.6 4.6 11.3 7.1 9.2 Cash Assistance 15,945 16,144 18,460 19,475 19,847 3.7 0.6 6.9 3.7 4.5 Other Beneficiaries 6,068 7,922 11,351 12,966 14,336 15.4 14.3 19.7 12.4 18.8 Elderly 3,130 3,167 3,547 3,680 3,828 3.4 0.6 5.8 3.9 4.1 Cash Assistance…