Research Report There's Something About Medicaid
Alan Weil
Display Date
File
File
Download Report
(85.87 KB)

In the 37 years since its creation, Medicaid has grown in terms of whom it covers and what it costs. Current rates of Medicaid enrollment and cost growth are high relative to state budget capacity, but not by historical standards. The current Medicaid fiscal crisis is a result of weak state fiscal conditions and the gradual increase of populations and services the program covers. States view Medicaid as an essential part of their current strategies to provide insurance to low-income populations, cover the chronic care needs of people with disabilities and the elderly, and finance the health care safety net. Medicaid has accomplished much, and it can continue to do so if the underlying fiscal pressures and tensions built into it are addressed. (Health Affairs 22(1): 13-30, January/February 2003)
Research Areas Economic mobility and inequality Health and health care Aging and retirement
Tags Fiscal policy Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program  Long-term services and support Health insurance