Medicaid, with “aid” at the end, is a federal-state insurance program established to help individuals and families living in poverty. But, because high health care costs can very quickly push relatively comfortable middle class households into poverty, Medicaid is a lifetime for tens of millions of people in the US.
One in five Americans is on Medicaid at any given time, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Individuals on Medicaid might have lost a job, along with their insurance, or need help paying for Medicare premiums or copays. Or, they might need long-term care, which Medicaid pays for. All told, about 63 million people rely on Medicaid for coverage at any given time in the year, including millions with incomes above the Medicaid limit who qualify after spending so much on care that they are left with little income and minimal assets.
Each state decides the level of poverty that qualifies an individual or a household for Medicaid and the level of benefits provided, although the federal government provides certain parameters and pays for a large chunk of the cost. Today, the Affordable Care Act incents states to offer Medicaid to anyone whose income is up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, including immigrants who have lived in the US legally for five years or more. Many states allow people to “spend down” to Medicaid, essentially paying out of pocket for care until their income and assets meet Medicaid eligibility standards.
Half of all people with Medicaid are kids, and about one in four are over 65 or have a disability. The 16 million older adults and people with disabilities with Medicaid tend to have complex and costly conditions, which represent about 66 percent of Medicaid’s costs. About 9 million of them also have Medicare and rely on Medicaid as their secondary insurer.
Fortunately, Medicaid’s cost increases have been much lower than private insurance because the government sets prices for Medicaid services. People can receive those services from private doctors and hospitals as well as public hospitals.The Kaiser Family Foundation has a quiz to help you better understand Medicaid. You can test your knowledge and learn even more by clicking here.