Over the past ten years, Medicaid has become one of the fastest and largest growing items on state budgets. In 2015, the program accounted for 20 percent of state budget spending and in 2018 it had grown to 30 percent. Last month, a report from...
In 1965, Title XIX of the Social Security Act established the Medicaid program to provide health care coverage to low-income individuals. Over time it has developed into one of the nation's largest payers for health care, covering one out of five Americans. In FY 2017,...
Last year, there were multiple attempts to reform the Medicaid program. While efforts at the federal level met resistance, multiple reform initiatives took place at the state level. These measures included legislation, program expansion, demonstration waivers, eligibility restrictions, and work requirements. Some of these changes...
Medicaid expansion was an important issue in the 2018 midterm elections. Three states – Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah - successfully passed ballot initiatives to expand their Medicaid programs, while Kansas and Maine elected pro-expansion governors. As a result, almost 500,000 additional low-income citizens will be...
Support for Medicaid expansion is on the rise as states approach general elections this fall. Advocates for expansion have been busy in recent months as they look to expand their programs by way of ballot initiatives. In May we reviewed a number of states considering...
While Medicaid expansion supporters are pleased with the recent developments in Maine and Virginia, there are concerns about the access to quality care as the Medicaid population expands. To address these concerns, a number of studies have been conducted to help guide the states considering...
From the very start of Donald Trump’s presidency, he has promised to give states the flexibility they need to craft their own Medicaid policies. HHS, working with governors and state legislatures, could make dramatic state-by-state changes to Medicaid using section 1115 waivers allowed under federal...
After months of debate amongst Republican representatives in both the House and Senate, legislators in Virginia voted in favor of Medicaid expansion under the ACA on May 30th, 2018. The provision to expand the state's Medicaid program to over 400,000 Virginia residents was included in the...
It has been six weeks since Virginia's General Assembly met for a special session to produce the state's budget for FY 2019 and decide the fate of Medicaid expansion. On Tuesday, the Finance Committee met but Virginia Senate Republicans delayed a decision on a proposed...
During the 2016 Presidential campaign and shortly after assuming office, President Trump was adamant about repealing the ACA's provisions for Medicaid expansion. In fact, President Trump and the administrator of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Seema Verma, are now considering waivers to...
