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The Evolution of Medicaid

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Submitted By genesis65
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The Evolution of Medicaid

Genesis65

HCS/310

April 19, 2010

Barbara Sinacori, RN, MSN, CNRN

The Evolution of Medicaid

Prior to 1965, the poor elderly in the United States were left with little options when it came to accessing and paying for preventative health related services. As a result, many of the poor in the U.S. went without routine health care or treatment for known illnesses. In response to this growing issue, the Federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon B. Johnson and in conjunction with state governments, established the Medicare program on July 30, 1965 through Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010). Along with passage of the Medicare Bill in 1965, Congress also passed an insurance program known as Medicaid that would provide health care insurance for various groups of disenfranchised U.S. citizens. This paper will briefly discuss the evolution of the Medicaid program and examine how Medicaid has influenced the current health care system in the United States.

The ever-rising cost of health insurance has prohibited many businesses from providing health insurance to their workers, effectively leaving millions of Americans uninsured or underinsured. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2007), “The number of people without health insurance coverage [in the U.S.] rose from 44.8 million (15.3 percent) in 2005 to 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006.” Medicaid is a program designed to assist the poor by paying for health care and long-term services. Administered by individual states, Medicaid does not pay funds to individual people; instead, it reimburses health care providers in a way similar to traditional health insurance. The rules for Medicaid eligibility vary from state to state, but must adhere to certain predetermined criteria. According

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