How Does Medicaid Compare?
<p>At a time when more Americans than ever before get their health insurance through Medicaid, a new study finds that the program’s coverage is, in many respects, as good as that provided by private insurance. </p><p>According to a new Commonwealth Fund analysis, the large majority of people who have Medicaid for the full year are able to get the health care they need. Based on survey results, 91 percent have a regular source of care, compared to 93 percent of privately insured people with continuous coverage and 77 percent of people uninsured for at least part of the year. Moreover, Medicaid enrollees are less likely than uninsured or privately insured people to report having medical bills problems or skipping needed health care because of the cost.</p>
<p>The nation’s largest health insurer, Medicaid covers more than 70 million people, about 12 million of whom enrolled when their state expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act. </p>
<p>“There is a common misperception that Medicaid is not good health insurance,” said the Commonwealth Fund’s Sara Collins, a coauthor of the study. “These results tell us that simply isn’t the case.”</p>