Essay on Medicaid

Title XIX of the Social Security Act is a federal and state entitlement program that paysfor medical assistance for certain individuals and families with low incomes and resources. This program, known as Medicaid, became law in 1965 as a cooperative venture jointly funded by the federal and state governments to assist states in furnishing medical assistance to eligible needy persons.

Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for America's poorest people. Within broad national guidelines established by federal statutes, regulations, and policies, each state (1) establishes its own eligibility standards; (2) determines the type, amount, duration, and scope of services; (3) sets the rate of payment for services; and (4) administers its own program. Medicaid policies for eligibility, services, and payment are complex and vary considerably, even among states of similar size or geographic proximity (Friedholm, 1994). Thus, a person who is eligible for Medicaid in one state may not be eligible in another state, and the services provided by one state may differ considerably in amount, duration or scope from services provided in a similar or neighboring state. In addition, Medicaid eligibility and services within a state can change during the year.

Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that annually finances health care coverage for more than 40 million low-income individuals, one-half of whom are children. States operate their programs within broad federal requirements and can elect to cover a range of optional populations and services. As a result, Medicaid essentially operates as 56 separate programs: one in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. Medicaid is an entitlement program; hence, states and the federal government are obligated to pay for all covered services provided to an eligible individual. Generally, the federal government shares in states’ Medicaid costs that fall under two categories: medical assistance and administrative activities................

ESSAY ON THE AMERICAS