5 Things to Know About Medicaid: Getting the Facts Out Created in 1965, Medicaid is a public insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, parents, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities; It is funded jointly by the federal government and the states. Each state operates its own Medicaid program within federal guidelines. Because the federal guidelines are broad, states have a lot of flexibility in designing and administering their programs. As a result, Medicaid eligibility and benefits can and often do vary widely from state to state. <a href="https://www.truconnect.com/lifeline?AgentId=40008&utm_source=DM3&utm_medium=referral">Medicaid</a> is the nation's public health insurance program for low-income people Medicaid is the nation's public health insurance program for low-income people. The Medicaid program covers 1 in 5 Americans, including many with complex and expensive care needs. The program is the leading source of long-term care coverage for Americans. The vast majority of Medicaid enrollees lack access to other affordable health insurance. Medicaid covers a wide range of health services and limits members' out-of-pocket costs. Medicaid funds nearly one-fifth of all personal health care expenses in the US, providing significant funding for hospitals, community health centers, doctors, nursing homes, and health care jobs. Title XIX of the Social Security Act and a host of federal regulations govern the program, defining federal Medicaid requirements and state options and authorities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are responsible for implementing Medicaid. Medicaid is structured as a federal-state partnership Subject to federal regulations, states administer Medicaid programs and have flexibility in determining covered populations, covered services, health care delivery models, and methods of paying doctors and hospitals. States may also obtain Section 1115 waivers to test and implement approaches that differ from what is required by federal statute, but for which program goals are determined in advance by the Secretary of HHS. Because of this flexibility, there is significant variation among state Medicaid programs. Because Medicaid and CHIP enrollees have limited ability to pay out-of-pocket costs due to their modest income, federal rules prohibit states from charging Medicaid premiums for recipients with incomes below 150% of the FPL, prohibit or limit cost-sharing for some towns and services, and limit total out-of-pocket expenses to no more than 5% of family income. Some states have obtained waivers to charge higher premiums and cost sharing than allowed by federal rules. Many of these waivers are geared toward expanding adults, but some also apply to other eligible groups through traditional eligibility pathways. Contact Information: Customer Care: (800) 430-0443 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruConnect?ref=hl Twitter: https://twitter.com/TruConnect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truconnect/ Website: https://www.truconnect.com/lifeline?AgentId=40008&utm_source=DM3&utm_medium=referral https://speakerdeck.com/medicaid