Medicaid Social Welfare Programs

In 2013, pharmaceutical cost per capita in the US was $1,112 compared to Switzerland’s $730. Private insurance plans widely vary on medication coverage. However, there are programs that are no cost to the individual that can decrease the cost of medications for people without

For those in states not willing to expand Medicaid, then low-income adults will be denied assistance, in which higher-income adults receive (Healthcare.gov, 2017). When the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) was established, Medicaid expansion provision was mandatory for those participating in Medicaid, basically included all states participation. For those individuals in households

The Medicare and Medicaid federal programs were put in place as a way to help the less fortunate. Individuals with severe disabilities or over the age of 65 qualify for Medicare. This program helps them with health coverage, so the disabled and elderly who have Medicare do not have to worry about their medical bills and not going to the hospital when they are sick. Medicaid is a similar program, however, it only applies to low income families who cannot provide for their children. Similar to Medicare, this program covers any health related problems and takes away the worry and troubles that come with hospital bills.

According to Barton (2010) Long-term Care “emphasized continuous care over a period of at least 90 days for a range of acute and chronic conditions. Regardless of the length of time (i.e., from weeks to years), LTC is an array of services provided in a range of settings to people who have lost some capacity for independence because of an injury, a chronic illness, or a condition” (pg. 349). This is the description of someone who may have been in a debilitating car accident, an elderly person with Alzheimer’s and dementia, a person diagnosed with chronic mental illness, and individuals who are developmentally delayed or “disabled.” People who are placed in these type of long-term care facilities are usually screened using two different

Medicaid is a social health care program that covers nearly 60 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, seniors, parents and individuals suffering with disabilities. Medicaid is the biggest source of funding for health related services and medical needs for the people with low income in the United States. This program is funded jointly by the state and federal level governments, but it is the state’s responsibility to manage this program. The Medicaid program is not a required program that states have to use, but all 50 states have implemented this program. With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and its passing in 2010, the ACA unveiled its plans to expand Medicaid eligibility to nearly all low-income adults as an addition to the other groups that fall into the Medicaid eligibility. The Medicaid program had “many gaps in coverage for adults” because it was only restricted to the low income individuals and other people with needs in their own specific category. In the past, the majority of the states who had adults that did not have children dependent on those parents were not eligible for Medicaid. These low income adults without dependent children would be without medical insurance assistance before the ACA was introduced. Medicaid is now available to all Americans under the age of 65 whose family income is at or below the federal poverty guideline of “133 percent or $14,484 for an individual and $29,726 for a family of four in 2011” (NSCL).

Medicaid is a joi8nt federal and state program. It provides health coverage to nearly 60 million Americans including children, pregnant women, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. As well as those people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income. Eligibility does however vary state to state.

Medicaid, which is a separate federal funded insurance was intended to cover low-income, aged, blind, disabled individuals, parents, and their dependent children on welfare. However, the senior citizens are the population group most likely to be living in poverty, and only about half of these individuals have insurance coverage. The difference between 1965 and now, of course, is costs. Years ago spending more on health care in result covering more people were the whole point. The administration wants to broaden coverage, but cut spending.

Medicaid has gaps in coverage for adults because eligibility was restricted to specific categories of low-income individuals such as children and their parents, pregnant women, the elderly, and the disabled. As of 2014, coverage gaps existed in the following areas in Utah: 0% FPL to 100% FPL for childless adults, and 46% FPL and 100% FPL for parents. In Utah, 58,000 uninsured adults who would have been eligible for Medicaid under expansion, fall through the cracks. These individuals are all below the poverty line and have very limited incomes.

However, in states that have not expanded Medicaid, eligibility for adults remains limited, with median eligibility level for parents just 44% of poverty and adults without dependent children ineligible in most cases. Over 3 million poor uninsured adults are in the “coverage gap” because they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to qualify for Marketplace premium tax credits

Medicaid is an assistance program. Medical bills are paid from federal, state and local tax funds. It helps low-income people of any age. Generally, patients do not pay any part of the covered medical expenses, sometimes a small copayment. Medicaid is a federal-state program. It varies from state to state. It is administered by state and local governments under federal guidelines.

States are being pressured to expand Medicaid to families earning up to $30,000 a year, just like the Affordable Care Act permits. While several respected governors have agreed to expand the program, many other governors and state legislators are cautious. These officials do not want to deny Americans their access to health care, however they do want to slow the expansion of a program that will provide them with limited access to quality care while destroying state budgets. One of the strongest arguments that can be made against the expansion of Medicaid is the fact that States simply can not afford it. The appeal to states to expand Medicaid is that the federal government will cover 100% of the cost through 2016 and eventually lowering to

Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP’s healthcare coverage is usually used in the typical American household. Though they serve different people they all have the same goal: To provide health coverage for lower costs and better care. They all have many ways they are funded. Medicare is funded through taxes, trust funds, premiums from members of Part A,B, and D, and funds from Congress. Medicaid and CHIP is funded by the government. The federal government pays states for a specific percentage of program expenditures or costs for a specific group. The percentage for Medicaid is 15% higher than CHIP’s. If you want to be a member of medicaid, you have to have a limited income, be 65 or older, a child under 19, be pregnant, be living with a disability,

To be eligible for federal funds, however, states are required to provide Medicaid coverage for certain individuals who receive federally assisted income-maintenance payments, as well as for related groups not receiving cash payments. In addition to their Medicaid programs, most states have additional "state-only" programs to provide medical assistance for specified poor persons who do not qualify for Medicaid. Federal funds are not provided for state-only programs. The following enumerates the mandatory Medicaid "categorically needy" eligibility groups for which federal matching funds are provided: Limited-income families with children, as described in section 1931 of the Social Security Act, are generally eligible for Medicaid if they meet the requirements for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program that were in effect in their state on July 16, 1996. Children under age 6 whose family income is at or below 133 percent of the FPL. (As of January 2011, the FPL has been set at $22,350 for a family of four in the continental U.S.; Alaska and Hawaii's FPLs are $27,940 and $25,710, respectively.). Pregnant women whose family income is below 133 percent of the FPL. (Services to these women are limited to those related to pregnancy, complications of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care.). Infants born to

Medicaid provides a comprehensive benefit package for those who enroll. The federal government requires coverage of thirteen services, including inpatient and outpatient hospital services, nursing home and home health care, and for children under the age of twenty-one. The benefits do not end there, Medicaid offers a

Unlike the federally regulated Medicare program which offers universal health care insurance for nearly all elderly citizens, individual states have further imposed strict eligibility barriers to allow Medicaid coverage only for certain subgroups of low-income individuals. Chapter 5 of Olson’s “Better than Nothing” points out the obvious flaws of Medicaid in that a significant percentage of impoverished people are excluded from vital health insurance and that there are substantial barriers to participate in this welfare program. Olson highlights the stark reality that a parent of a family of three, working full-time at minimum wage, would not even qualify for Medicaid in twenty-five states. “State Differences in Health Care Politics” by Angel, Lein, and Henrici points out the significant variation in Medicaid health care coverage by different states. While Congress continues to attempt transforming Medicaid into a universal health insurance for all low-income Americans, individual states have in turn used their autonomy by reducing the coverage and eligibility of beneficiaries as a way to offset the increase in their