There’s Something About Medicaid

In the thirty-seven 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 accretion of populations and services covered by Medicaid. States view Medicaid as an essential part of their current strategies to provide insurance to their 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.