Fifty Years of Medicaid

Since 1972, states have been required to provide family planning services in their Medicaid programs. Now, under the Affordable Care Act, states have the option to offer such services , under state plan authority, to individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Medicaid. This has greatly...

Nearly two out of three adult women enrolled in Medicaid are in their reproductive years (ages 19 to 44), and Medicaid currently finances about 48% of all births in the United States. Through the Maternal and Infant Health Initiative, Medicaid is encouraging states to improve maternal and infant...

Over the past 50 years, Medicaid has claimed its place as a major source of health coverage for millions of low-income women at every stage of life. One in ten women relies on Medicaid for health coverage, including pregnancy-related care, family planning, screening for breast and cervical cancer...

Medicare beneficiaries who have limited income and resources may get help paying for their Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses from Medicaid. Medicaid also covers some important services not provided under Medicare, such as community-based long-term services and supports, nursing...

Medicaid provides both institutional and community-based long-term care. Historically many states spent more on institutional-based care than community-based services, but the balance is changing. In 2013, spending on community-based services and supports comprised over 50% of all spending on long...

Medicaid is the primary source of funding for long-term services and supports, providing care to millions of low-income Americans of all ages. When the program was first enacted, Medicaid provided long-term services primarily in institutional settings, like nursing homes. Over time, there has been...

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. in 1999 represents a critical milestone in the development of Medicaid home and community-based services. In that landmark case, Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, who had mental illness and developmental disabilities, were voluntarily...

Katie Beckett, born in 1978, was 5 months old when she contracted viral encephalitis, a condition that left her ventilator-dependent for 12 hours a day. After her parents’ health insurance was depleted, Medicaid covered the cost of her care, but only in the hospital. Although her...

Medicaid encourages and supports the employment of people with disabilities. Work promotes independent living, better mental health and overall well-being. Through the optional Medicaid Buy-In program, created under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (P.L.

More than 10 million children and adults with disabilities rely on Medicaid for their health coverage. This population comprises about 15% of all Medicaid beneficiaries. Their disabilities may include physical impairments and injuries, intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental and...