If you haven’t been paying close attention over the last several years, you may have missed some of the major changes that have taken place in the Medicaid program.
You may know that some 72 million Americans rely on Medicaid as their source of health insurance coverage this year – 14 million more than in October 2013 thanks largely to the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion.
For millions of children who need checkups or follow up care, pregnant women who want their babies to get a healthy start in life, adults who need health coverage when they unexpectedly lose a job, or people with disabilities who want to live independently in their communities, Medicaid has been there over the last 50 years to provide comprehensive health coverage to millions low-income American families.
But a lot has happened to health insurance coverage through Medicaid over the past several years as millions more people have gained coverage because of the Affordable Care Act: The federal government and the states have sought to strengthen the program’s focus on the consumer, the delivery of high quality care, and providing greater access points, and on developing a modern set of rules.
