Commonwealth Fund

Affordable, quality health care. For everyone.

State Health Policy and Medicaid

drive-by testing in Denver, Colorado for coronavirus

What Are State Officials Doing to Make Private Health Insurance Work Better for Consumers During the Coronavirus Public Health Crisis?

| To The Point

Featured

Medicaid Managed Care Contract Analysis Database

| Publication

Status of Medicaid Expansion and Work Requirement Waivers

| Maps and Interactives

Assessing Underlying State Conditions and Ramp-Up Challenges for the COVID-19 Response

| Issue Briefs

Can States Fill the Gap if the Federal Government Overturns Preexisting-Condition Protections?

| To The Point
State Health Policy and Medicaid

State policymakers play a significant role in ensuring their residents have access to affordable, high-quality health care. This is particularly true for people covered through Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program that covers more than 74 million Americans.

Our Experts
Rachel Nuzum

Rachel Nuzum

Vice President, Federal and State Health Policy
Sara Collins

Sara R. Collins

Vice President, Health Care Coverage and Access
Sophia Herzlinger

Sophia Herzlinger

Former Program Associate, Federal and State Health Policy
Munira Z. Gunja

Munira Z. Gunja

Senior Researcher, Health Care Coverage and Access
In the News
Mom and baby see the doctor
read on: Vox
The Trump administration’s plan for Medicaid work requirements, explained
Read More

U.S. Health System Data Center

Compare state and local health system performance

Learn More
promo us health system data center

The Latest in State Health Policy and Medicaid

Narrow by:
North Carolina Medicaid
To the Point

Buying Health, Not Just Health Care: North Carolina’s Pilot Effort


By Mandy Cohen, M.D., Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, M.D., Melinda Dutton, Jocelyn Guyer, Melinda K. Abrams, Laurie Zephyrin, M.D.
2019 blocks and stethoscope
To the Point

Health Care in 2019: Year in Review


By David Blumenthal, M.D., Shanoor Seervai
doctor examining Medicaid patient
Publication

What Is Medicaid’s Value?


dual eligible man in nursing home
Publication

Improving Care for Individuals Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid


By Ann Hwang, Laura M. Keohane, Leena Sharma
Medicare senior who is seriously ill reading on bed
Publication

Medicare Beneficiaries with Serious Illnesses Report Problems Paying Bills


By Michael Anne Kyle, Robert J. Blendon, John M. Benson, Melinda K. Abrams, Eric C. Schneider, M.D.
Thumbnail
To the Point

Can States Fill the Gap if the Federal Government Overturns Preexisting-Condition Protections?


By Sabrina Corlette, Emily Curran
Florida Mexicaid expansion
To the Point

Medicaid Expansion in Florida: Budget Buster or Deal of the Century?


By Rachel Nuzum, Akeiisa Coleman, Audrey McIntosh
Thumbnail
To the Point

What a Medicaid Block Grant Would Mean for Tennessee: An Update


By Sara Rosenbaum
Patient seeing a doctor but concerned about health care prices
To the Point

States’ Role in Combatting High Health Care Prices


By Lovisa Gustafsson, Audrey McIntosh
Rhode Island health care improvement
To the Point

Rhode Island: A Most-Improved State in Health Performance


By Michelle Alletto, Marie Ganim
Thumbnail
To the Point

The New “Public Charge” Rule Affecting Immigrants Has Major Implications for Medicaid and Entire Communities


By Sara Rosenbaum
Thumbnail
To the Point

Medicaid Work Requirements in Nine States Could Cause 600,000 to 800,000 Adults to Lose Medicaid Coverage


By Leighton Ku, Erin Brantley
promo 2018 scorecard on state health system performance

2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance

The latest scorecard measuring health system performance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia shows that the combined death rate from suicide, alcohol, opioids, and other drugs increased by 50 percent nationwide between 2005 and 2016.

View Scorecard