Medicaid Realities

As states consider whether to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act, critics have offered some Medicaid myths. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published Correcting Five Myths About Medicaid on September 24, 2013.   The brief, written by Edwin Park and Matt Broaddus, offers 5 realities of Medicaid:  “Medicaid is efficient…States Have Considerable Freedom to Design Their Own Programs…Medicaid Beneficiaries Have Much Better Access to Health Care Than the Uninsured…Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Is a Very Good Deal for States…[and] Medicaid Beneficiaries Generally Don’t Have Access to Private Coverage.” This four page report succinctly explains these 5 realities, and is a helpful reading for our classes. A pdf is available here.