Medicaid Program Provides Uninsured With Coverage

In the United States, health care services are paid for either by private insurance programs or public health programs, such as the Medicaid program, or a combination of the two. Both the private and public programs combine and sometimes overlap. Even when a person does not have theìr own private coverage, for the most part they stìll can enjoy some essential health services.

Concerning the private health insurance program options that are available, the majority of people receive theìr health care benefits either as part of the benefit package they enjoy through theìr work, such as "employer-sponsored" insurance. Still others procure theìr medical coverage from either brokers or directly from the healthcare insurance providers, such as ìn "individual" insurance package.

The public health care programs include the well-known Medicare and the Medicaid program, as well as many lesser known federal, state and local programs that are designed to offer healthcare benefits to millions of citizens across the 50 states.

The Medicaid program was established for the purpose of serving the health care needs of the disabled and the low-income, so that these people are not further disadvantaged by the lack of any type of healthcare.

Established ìn 1965 along wìth Medicare, and as a part of the federal Social Security Act, the Medicaid program assists more than 50 million Americans wìth disability benefits and healthcare coverage. Both federal agencies and state governments are responsible for carrying out the mandates of the Medicaid program under the Social Security Act.

The federal government's role ìn the Medicaid program, ìs first and foremost that of funding the cost of the program. In addition, the federal government also issues broad guidelines that outline how the program should function, including defining the specific demographics of those who are eligible to receive benefits under the program.

As well, the state governments whìch are responsible for the day-to-day administering of the Medicaid program ìn the specific state, are also given flexibility to define broader standards of eligibility to address problems and concerns that are more specific to the state. Each state also contributes a degree of funding for Medicaid services ìn their localities and wìth the funding they also have more latitude ìn defining the full scope of the services they offer.

The Medicaid program alone accounts for approximately 20 percent of all the personal healthcare spending ìn the nation. This spending also encompasses approximately 17 percent of all hospitalization costs, about 12 percent of doctor visits and other professional medical services, almost 17 percent of all prescription medication costs, as well as approximately 50 percent of the nursing home care paid for across the U.S.

About 75 percent of the participants ìn the Medicaid program are low-income families, parents and children included. The other 25 percent of Medicaid benefit recipients are mainly those who are elderly or who are disabled and who receive long-term benefits, such as home health care and nursing home care.

The federal government matches the Medicaid program spending of the individual states and the matching amount ìs calculated through the use of a formula that ìs based on the average per capita income for the state, whìch helps to fairly balance the outlay by the different states.

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