News Intro Text
BY FRED KAMMER, S.J.
Date
News Item Content
<p>By Fred Kammer, SJ </p>
<p>On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the bill that led to the Medicare and Medicaid programs that we know today. Medicare is widely popular, especially among seniors, as the health insurance program that covers 52.3 million Americans: 43.5 million elders and 8.8 million people who are disabled.[1] Medicaid insures one in five Americans and one in three American children. Medicaid, as a “health welfare” program covering poor children, parents, elders, persons with disabilities, and others, continues to be controversial despite its many successes for the American people. This article traces its reach, impact, and costs.</p>
<p><strong>Beneficiaries of Medicaid</strong></p>
<p>As reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP),[2] the Medicaid program reached 80 million low-income Americans in 2014 with essential health care services. This included 31 million children, 19 million adults (most of whom were low-income working parents), 5 million seniors (many of whom receive nursing home care), and 9 million persons with disabilities. In terms of participation, 87.2 percent of the children who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) participate in the program, as do 65.6 percent of low-income adults with children who are eligible under the program guidelines. In the Gulf South, Medicaid helps 11,677,200 persons, a majority of whom are children, elderly, or persons with disabilities.[3]</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JustSouth Quarterly Winter Medicaid Medicare.pdf">MORE>></a></p>
<p>On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the bill that led to the Medicare and Medicaid programs that we know today. Medicare is widely popular, especially among seniors, as the health insurance program that covers 52.3 million Americans: 43.5 million elders and 8.8 million people who are disabled.[1] Medicaid insures one in five Americans and one in three American children. Medicaid, as a “health welfare” program covering poor children, parents, elders, persons with disabilities, and others, continues to be controversial despite its many successes for the American people. This article traces its reach, impact, and costs.</p>
<p><strong>Beneficiaries of Medicaid</strong></p>
<p>As reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP),[2] the Medicaid program reached 80 million low-income Americans in 2014 with essential health care services. This included 31 million children, 19 million adults (most of whom were low-income working parents), 5 million seniors (many of whom receive nursing home care), and 9 million persons with disabilities. In terms of participation, 87.2 percent of the children who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) participate in the program, as do 65.6 percent of low-income adults with children who are eligible under the program guidelines. In the Gulf South, Medicaid helps 11,677,200 persons, a majority of whom are children, elderly, or persons with disabilities.[3]</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JustSouth Quarterly Winter Medicaid Medicare.pdf">MORE>></a></p>