Medicaid Coverage for the Lowest Income Populations.

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in states with lower payment rates (Cato Institute, 2014).

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) seek to provide safe, effective, efficient, patient-centered, high quality and equitable care to all enrollees (Medicaid.gov, 2015). A major issue in health policy debates is that of quality. As stated in our book, failures in the quality of care can result in premature death and needless suffering for patients in all parts of the healthcare system (McLaughlin, 2015). By measuring actual quality, in healthcare can show many problematic areas, such as medical errors.

With the crisis in rising health care costs, some states see Medicaid problems are from the design and structure of the program itself. Although the new Affordable Care Act has a long way to go before it can be perfected, if at all. Most experts say there is not enough data yet to the entire population to determine whether the law is improving the nation’s health (The New York Times, 2014).References:

McLaughlin, D. B. (Ed.). (2015). The guide to healthcare reform: Readings and Commentary. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

The Kaiser Family Foundation. Where Are States Today? Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Levels for Adults, Children, and Pregnant Women. 13 April 2015. Retrieved from:

http://kff.org/medicaid/fact-sheet/where-are-states-today-medicaid-and-chip/

Iglehart, J., (2010, February). Medicaid Expansion Offers Solutions, Challenges. (2010). Retrieved from Health Affairs:

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/2/230.full

Compilation of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Role of Public Programs (2010). Retrieved from:

http://housedocs.house.gov/energycommerce/ppacacon.pdf

ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion. (2014). Retrieved from ObamaCare facts:

http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacares-medicaid-expansion/

The New York Times. (2014, Oct. 26). Is the Affordable Care Act Working?. Retrieved from:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/27/us/is-the-affordable-care-act-working.html?_r=0#/

Medicaid.gov (2015, April). Financing & Reimbursement. Retrieved from:

http://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid-chip-program-information/by-topics/financing-andreimbursement.html

The Kaiser Family Foundation. (2013, August 02). What is Medicaid’s Impact on Access to Care, Health Outcomes, and Quality of Care? Setting the Record Straight on the Evidence. Retrieved from:

http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/what-is-medicaids-impact-on-access-to-care-health-outcomes-and quality-of-care-setting-the-record-straight-on-the-evidence/

Cato Institute. (2014, December 22). Medicaid’s Access to Care Problems Persist and Will Get Worse Next Year. Retrieved from:

http://ww.cato.org/blog/medicaids-access-care-problems-persist-will-get-worse-nest-year