Medicaid/SCHIP - Health Policy, Public Opinion & Research

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Health Coverage in an Economic Downturn: Impact of Tight Budgets for Families and States
The economic downturn has strained family finances and led some Americans to cut back on medical care. The Foundation has a number of resources that shed light on how Americans and states are faring and provide background on the uninsured, employer-sponsored health insurance costs and trends in states’ Medicaid enrollment and spending.

Report Shows Impact of the Recession on Family Budgets and Health Coverage
This issue brief, drawn from five focus group discussions, sheds light on the experiences of families who have suffered financial reversals and lost health coverage in the economic downturn, forcing many to turn to safety-net programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP for the first time.

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The Public's Health Care Agenda for the New President and Congress -- January 2009
This survey captures the public's attitudes regarding the health care agenda for President-elect Obama and the new Congress in 2009. It assesses the relative priority placed on health care by the American public as part of addressing the economic recession and as a large scale reform issue.

The Role of Medicaid in State Economies: A Look at the Research -- January 2009

This policy brief synthesizes the results of 29 studies in 23 states that examine the role Medicaid plays in state and local economies. These studies estimate the economic stimulus derived from Medicaid spending, and also analyze the adverse effects on the state economy from reducing Medicaid spending.

Reports Examine Impact of Economic Turmoil on Health Coverage and State Medicaid Programs -- January 2009

The Kaiser Family Foundation issued several new reports looking at how the recession and growing unemployment is affecting people's health coverage and state Medicaid programs. The new reports were released in conjunction with an Alliance for Health Reform briefing.

Rising Unemployment, Medicaid and the Uninsured -- January 2009

This policy brief analyzes the relationship between increases in the unemployment rate and changes in the number of people covered by employer-sponsored health insurance, Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and non-group insurance policies, as well as the financial implications for government budgets.

Medicaid in a Crunch: A Mid-FY 2009 Update on State Medicaid Issues in a Recession -- January 2009

This report relays the perspective of leading state Medicaid directors to describe the fiscal strain on Medicaid and other safety-net programs as enrollment swells and state tax revenues shrink, raising the prospect of program cutbacks. It augments the most recent Medicaid budget survey report that was based on a survey and interviews with all state Medicaid directors in July and August 2008, at the beginning of state fiscal year 2009.

State Fiscal Conditions & Medicaid -- January 2009

This fact sheet examines how an economic downturn increases state Medicaid program enrollment and costs at the same time that states face new budget constraints, as well as possible policy responses.

Turning to Medicaid and SCHIP in an Economic Recession: Conversations with Recent Applicants and Enrollees -- December 2008

This issue brief, drawn from five focus group discussions, sheds light on the experiences of families who have suffered financial reversals and lost health coverage in the economic downturn, forcing many to turn to safety-net programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP for the first time.

Medicaid Home and Community-Based Service Programs - Data Update -- December 2008

This report presents a summary of the main trends to emerge from the latest (2005) spending and participant data for the three Medicaid HCBS programs and the results of a survey of policies such as eligibility criteria and waiting lists.

Making the Most of Medicaid: Promoting the Health of Women and Infants With Preconception Care -- December 2008
This article examines the evolution and current role of Medicaid in improving access to preconception care for low-income women and discusses opportunities to promote preconception care through the program.

Short Term Options for Medicaid in a Recession -- December 2008
This policy brief examines several short-term options for strengthening Medicaid at a time of growing demand, including increased federal funding and temporary coverage expansions.

This survey captures the public's attitudes regarding the health care agenda for President-elect Obama and the new Congress in 2009. It assesses the relative priority placed on health care by the American public as part of addressing the economic recession and as a large scale reform issue.

This fact sheet examines how an economic downturn increases state Medicaid program enrollment and costs at the same time that states face new budget constraints, as well as possible policy responses.

This article examines the evolution and current role of Medicaid in improving access to preconception care for low-income women and discusses opportunities to promote preconception care through the program.

This policy brief examines several short-term options for strengthening Medicaid at a time of growing demand, including increased federal funding and temporary coverage expansions.

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Medicaid/SCHIP

Medicaid is the nation's public health insurance program for low-income Americans, financing health and long term care services for more than 55 million individuals. The program provides access to affordable and comprehensive health care for children and adults in low-income working families and for the elderly and disabled who often rely on the program to fill in critical gaps in their Medicare coverage. Although three quarters of Medicaid's enrollees are adults or children, the elderly and disabled account for 70% of the program's expenditures. Financed and operated jointly by the states and federal government, Medicaid accounts for roughly one sixth of the nation’s health care spending and almost half of all spending on long term care. As the largest source of federal support to the states, Medicaid is also a major engine in state economies, supporting millions of jobs across the country. Its guarantee of open-ended federal financing that matches state spending enables states to respond to losses of private health insurance attributable to unemployment and rising health insurance premiums, increases in health care costs, emergencies and disasters, and an aging society.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was enacted in 1997 to provide a capped amount of federal matching funds to states for coverage of children and some parents with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but for whom private health insurance was either unavailable or unaffordable. Covering roughly four million children, SCHIP has played an important role in reducing the number of uninsured children in America.

This section provides data and information on the Medicaid and SCHIP programs with a focus on the populations they serve. Analyses of proposals to restructure these programs, data from surveys, studies of the impact of recent programmatic changes on beneficiaries, and basic information on how the programs operate and are administered can all be found here. These materials can help to inform discussions of reform proposals and efforts to improve and maintain health coverage and financing for the low-income disabled and elderly populations, families, and children who are left out of our country’s fragmented, employer-based health care system.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured is the main source for the Foundation's work related to the Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Begun in 1991, the Commission is the largest operating program of Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and has brought increased analysis and attention to health coverage issues facing the low-income population for over a decade. Through its reports and briefings, the Commission continues to provide up-to-date information on Medicaid and SCHIP and assesses options for reform.