Medicaid
Medicaid provides health coverage for low-income children and adults, medical and long-term care coverage for people with disabilities, and assistance with health and long-term care expenses for low-income seniors. Nearly 59 million people rely on Medicaid services.
Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. Each state administers its own program, and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) monitors the programs and sets quality, funding, and eligibility standards.
This section of our Web site provides resources on Medicaid laws and regulations and keeps you up-to-date on the battle to sustain and improve this important program.
Children receive health coverage through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). To learn more about CHIP, see the Children’s Health section.
The Latest
Rhode Island Submits Waiver Proposal to CMS
Rhode Island has submitted its Global Consumer Choice Compact Waiver to CMS for approval. The waiver asks for the authority to become the first state “to use global budgeting as a financing mechanism for all Medicaid populations and services.” Rhode Island proposes a number of fundamental changes to its Medicaid program in order to be able to work within its proposed scheme and asserts that “the most significant changes . . . are on the long-term care side.”
The National Senior Citizens Law Center has written an analysis of the proposed long-term care changes, The Long-Term Care Proposals in Rhode Island’s Global Consumer Compact Waiver. Issues that are raised in the paper include the fact that Rhode Island has not availed itself of important long-term care opportunities that do not require waivers, that it has only recently implemented other programs that may produce favorable results, and, most importantly, that it does not appear to be fully embracing the purpose of Vermont’s Choices for Care program, the central feature of which Rhode Island has borrowed for its own proposal.
34 Senators Sign Letter Urging Increased Medicaid Funding for States
A bipartisan letter was sent to the Senate leadership on September 25 requesting that a temporary increase in the federal matching rate for Medicaid (FMAP) be included in the economic stimulus bill. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have or are projecting budget deficits for 2009 and/or 2010, and the situation will likely get worse as the economy continues to deteriorate. This temporary measure will not only help states avoid cutting current beneficiaries, but it will also help them meet the increased demand for Medicaid that comes as a result of a failing economy and rising unemployment. (September 25, 2008)
More than 450 National, State, and Local Groups Sign Letter for Increased Medicaid Match
A letter was sent to House and Senate leadership on September 8 requesting that Congress pass a second economic stimulus bill that includes a temporary increase in the federal matching rate for Medicaid (FMAP). This timely, targeted, and temporary measure would simultaneously protect the health care of millions of vulnerable Americans and be a prudent and responsive way to stimulate the ailing economy. (September 8, 2008)
Senators Urge HHS Secretary to Reject Rhode Island’s Medicaid Waiver Proposal
A new letter from members of the Senate Finance Committee urges Secretary Leavitt to reject Rhode Island’s Global Medicaid Waiver Proposal on the grounds that it will jeopardize the health care of low-income seniors, children, and families. The Senators are also concerned that Rhode Island’s proposal seeks changes that are contrary to federal law. This letter serves as a follow-up to a June letter in which the Finance Committee members asked Secretary Leavitt to make the Medicaid waiver process more transparent and to give more opportunity for public input. The Committee never received a response to the June letter, and in light of Rhode Island’s proposal, the Senators reiterated the need for more transparency in the waiver process. (August 2008)
For more information on Medicaid waivers, click on the Waiver Tool Box button on the right.
From Families USA:
Health Coverage in Communities of Color: Talking about the New Census Numbers takes a closer look at the 2007 uninsured data. The number of uninsured was considerably higher in 2007 than it was in 2000, and communities of color continue to bear the brunt of this crisis. This fact sheet looks at who is uninsured, where people get their health insurance, and why public programs are vital to communities of color. (September 2008)
Mountain Health Choices: An Unhealthy Choice for West Virginians continues our analysis of the state's radical Medicaid reform program. Problems with the program include a confusing enrollment process; lack of clear information; and lack of access to key health care services, particularly mental health care. (August 2008)
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Rhode Island’s Medicaid Proposal Would Put Beneficiaries at Risk and Undermine the Federal-State Partnership: Could Set Dangerous Precedent for Other States analyzes the state’s waiver proposal, which would transform Medicaid into a block grant. If approved, the waiver would put many beneficiaries at risk of losing health coverage and services, as well as set a national precedent that could negatively affect low-income people across the country. (September 2008)
From the George Washington University Medical Center:
Uninsured and Medicaid Patients’ Access to Preventive Care: Comparison of Health Centers and Other Primary Care Providers examines the role of community health centers (CHCs) in reducing disparities in access to preventive health care for medically vulnerable and high-risk populations. The analysis finds that, despite having a more vulnerable patient mix, CHCs outperform other primary care providers in the use of preventive care for both Medicaid and uninsured patients by as much as 22 percent. (August 2008)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
Headed for a Crunch: An Update on Medicaid Spending, Coverage, and Policy Heading into an Economic Downturn finds that Medicaid enrollment grew by 2.1 percent in fiscal year 2008, with states expecting even larger increases in enrollment and spending for 2009. More states made restorations, enhancements, or expansions to their Medicaid programs than made cuts for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. These included changes in provider reimbursement levels, in Medicaid eligibility requirements and enrollment processes, in benefits, and in home- and community-based services for long-term care. (September 2008)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
A Needed Lifeline: Chronically Ill Children and Public Health Insurance Coverage provides a state-by-state analysis of children’s access to health care and examines whether children who have public or private coverage obtain health care differently than children who are uninsured. The data demonstrate the strength of CHIP and Medicaid as safety nets for kids, but more than 9 million children remain uninsured. (August 2008)
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