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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

The Foundation has several resources that explain the state of children's health and health care coverage in the United States.

This reference guide from the Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured summarizes the key strategies for expanding coverage to the nation's 45 million people without health insurance and explains how policy options can be combined to form comprehensive reform proposals.