The percentage of Americans covered by the Medicaid public health insurance plan increased from 17.8 percent in 2020 to around 18.9 percent in 2023. However, the percentage of those insured through Medicaid remains lower than the peak of 19.6 percent in 2015. The expansion of Medicaid The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided the option for states to expand Medicaid eligibility to people whose income was below a particular threshold. The ACA’s major coverage expansion came into force in 2014, and the number of individuals estimated to be enrolled in Medicaid has since surpassed 75 million. More than 28 million children were enrolled in the program in 2018, representing 38 percent of overall Medicaid enrollment. State Medicaid coverage Initially, the ACA mandated that all state Medicaid programs would have to be extended to provide medical coverage to nearly all low-income groups. However, the Supreme Court rejected that part of the act in 2012, leaving the door open for states to make their own decision on whether they expand their plans. As of September 2021, 39 states plus the District of Columbia have adopted the Medicaid expansion.

Over ** million Americans were estimated to be enrolled in the Medicaid program as of 2023. That is a significant increase from around ** million ten years earlier. Medicaid is basically a joint federal and state health program that provides medical coverage to low-income individuals and families. Currently, Medicaid is responsible for ** percent of the nation’s health care bill, making it the third-largest payer behind private insurances and Medicare. From the beginning to ObamacareMedicaid was implemented in 1965 and since then has become the largest source of medical services for Americans with low income and limited resources. The program has become particularly prominent since the introduction of President Obama’s health reform – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - in 2010. Medicaid was largely impacted by this reform, for states now had the opportunity to expand Medicaid eligibility to larger parts of the uninsured population. Thus, the percentage of uninsured in the United States decreased from over ** percent in 2010 to *** percent in 2022. Who is enrolled in Medicaid?Medicaid enrollment is divided mainly into four groups of beneficiaries: children, adults under 65 years of age, seniors aged 65 years or older, and disabled people. Children are the largest group, with a share of approximately ** percent of enrollees. However, their share of Medicaid expenditures is relatively small, with around ** percent. Compared to that, disabled people, accounting for **** percent of total enrollment, were responsible for **** percent of total expenditures. Around half of total Medicaid spending goes to managed care and health plans.

In 2022, just under four in ten Medicaid/CHIP enrollees were White, non-Hispanic. In comparison, roughly three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries were White. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion in 2014, has helped reduce racial disparities in access to healthcare in the United States.

Medicaid eligibility

Medicaid provides health coverage to certain low-income individuals, families, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Each state has its own Medicaid eligibility criteria in accordance with federal guidelines. As a result, Medicaid eligibility and benefits differ widely from state to state. Medicaid expansion provision under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to provide coverage for low-income adults by expanding eligibility for Medicaid to 138 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL).

Medicaid coverage gap

Uninsured individuals who live in states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are referred to as being in the Medicaid coverage gap. As of January 2021, 12 states have not adopted the Medicaid expansion provision under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). More than two million uninsured adults fall into this coverage gap, and among them, more than 60 percent are people of color.

The Share of Medicaid Enrollees in any Managed Care and in Comprehensive Managed CaAre profiles state-level enrollment statistics (numbers and percentages) of total Medicaid enrollees in any type of managed care as well as those enrolled specifically in comprehensive managed care programs. The report provides managed care enrollment by state with all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US territories are represented in these data. Note: "n/a" indicates that a state or territory was not able to report data or does not have a managed care program. The “Total Medicaid Enrollees” column represents an unduplicated count of all beneficiaries in FFS and any type of managed care, including Medicaid-only and dually eligible individuals receiving full Medicaid benefits or Medicaid cost sharing. The “Total Medicaid Enrollment in Any Type of Managed Care” column represents an unduplicated count of beneficiaries enrolled in any Medicaid managed care program, including comprehensive MCOs, limited benefit MCOs, PCCMs, and PCCM entities. The “Medicaid Enrollment in Comprehensive Managed Care” column represents an unduplicated count of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in a managed care plan that provides comprehensive benefits (acute, primary care, specialty, and any other), as well as PACE programs. It excludes beneficiaries who are enrolled in a Financial Alignment Initiative Medicare-Medicaid Plan as their only form of managed care.

The number of older individuals – those aged 65 and older – enrolled in the Medicaid health insurance program was projected to be 6.4 million in 2020. Enrollment is expected to increase year-on-year and is forecast to reach eight million by 2027.

Which enrollment group is the largest? The percentage of people covered by Medicaid has notably increased since 2000, and enrollment has accelerated in recent years due to the program’s expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The elderly represent the smallest enrollment group, and this looks set to continue in the coming years. The number of disabled enrollees is projected to grow to nearly twelve million, while children are expected to remain the largest enrollment group.

Combining Medicaid and Medicare Aged individuals can qualify for Medicaid based on their low-income or via another eligibility pathway, such as receiving Supplemental Security Income. Some seniors may also qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare, and these dual-eligible beneficiaries receive a comprehensive range of medical support. Medicare is a health insurance program primarily aimed at individuals aged 65 and older – this group accounted for around 85 percent of all Medicare enrollees in 2019.

In 2022, nearly 59 percent of Medicaid and CHIP enrollees were aged between 18 and 64 years, while adults aged 65 years accounted for only 17.4 percent of enrollees. Medicaid program is funded jointly by the federal and the state governments, it provided coverage to nearly 19.5 percent of the U.S. population in 2022.

Medicaid vs CHIP

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) both provide health insurance coverage for children from low-income families. Children who are not eligible for Medicaid but who would otherwise be unable to obtain insurance through a family plan are covered by CHIP. More than five million children were enrolled in CHIP in the U.S. in 2023.

Medicaid and CHIP funding rate

The Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) are used to calculate the amount of federal matching funds for State Medicare and CHIP programs. To encourage states to expand coverage for uninsured children the federal matching rates for CHIP are generally 15 points higher than the Medicaid rate. However, unlike permanent federal funding for Medicaid, CHIP federal funding is capped and due to expire in FY 2027.

The Share of Medicaid Enrollees in any Managed Care and in Comprehensive Managed CaAre profiles state-level enrollment statistics (numbers and percentages) of total Medicaid enrollees in any type of managed care as well as those enrolled specifically in comprehensive managed care programs. The report provides managed care enrollment by state with all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US territories are represented in these data.

1. Note: "n/a" indicates that a state or territory was not able to report data or does not have a managed care program.

2. The “Total Medicaid Enrollees” column represents an unduplicated count of all beneficiaries in FFS and any type of managed care, including Medicaid-only and dually eligible individuals receiving full Medicaid benefits or Medicaid cost sharing.

3. The “Total Medicaid Enrollment in Any Type of Managed Care” column represents an unduplicated count of beneficiaries enrolled in any Medicaid managed care program, including comprehensive MCOs, limited benefit MCOs, PCCMs, and PCCM entities.

4. The “Medicaid Enrollment in Comprehensive Managed Care” column represents an unduplicated count of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in a managed care plan that provides comprehensive benefits (acute, primary care, specialty, and any other), as well as PACE programs. It excludes beneficiaries who are enrolled in a Financial Alignment Initiative Medicare-Medicaid Plan as their only form of managed care.

Medicaid is an important public health insurance for individuals with a low income, those that are pregnant, disabled or are children. It was projected that by 2020 there would be approximately 76.7 million Medicaid enrollees. By 2027 that number is expected to increase to 82 million individuals covered.

Medicaid in the focus

Medicaid has recently been in the news for several reasons. A proposed Medicaid expansion was announced with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. According to the expansion, all states were given the option to expand Medicaid programs to help provide insurance coverage to millions of U.S. Americans. As of 2019, 32 states have accepted federal funding to expand their Medicaid programs. Medicaid, after Medicare and private insurance, provides a significant proportion of the total health expenditures in the United States. In general, Medicaid expenditure, like the number of enrollees, has been growing over time.

Medicaid demographics

A significant proportion of Medicaid enrollees in the U.S. are children and low-income adults. Despite children accounting for most of the enrollees in the Medicaid program, the largest percentage of expenditures for Medicaid is dedicated to those enrolled as a disabled individual. Expenditures for the program also vary regionally. The states with the highest Medicaid expenditures include California, New York and Texas, to name a few.

The percentage of people in the United States with health insurance has increased over the past decade with a noticeably sharp increase in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted. As of 2023, around 92 percent of people in the United States had some form of health insurance, compared to around 84 percent in 2010. Despite the increases in the percentage of insured people in the U.S., there were still over 25 million people in the United States without health insurance as of 2023. Insurance coverage Health insurance in the United States consists of different private and public insurance programs such as those provided by private employers or those provided publicly through Medicare and Medicaid. Almost half of the insured population in the United States were insured privately through an employer as of 2021, while 18.9 percent of people were insured through Medicaid, and 15.4 percent through Medicare . The Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in 2014, has significantly reduced the number of uninsured people in the United States. In 2014, the percentage of U.S. individuals with health insurance increased to almost 90 percent. Furthermore, the percentage of people without health insurance reached an all time low in 2022. Public opinion on healthcare reform in the United States remains an ongoing political issue with public opinion consistently divided.

According to a survey done in March 2024, long wait times on the phone was the most common problem reported by 44 percent of Americans who tried to renew their Medicaid coverage last year before Medicaid unwinding. Another 26 percent mentioned that they did not know what documents were needed to complete re-enrollment. This statistic illustrates the types of problems Medicaid enrollees experienced when they tried to renew their coverage in 2023.

Metrics from individual Marketplaces during the current reporting period. The report includes data for the states using HealthCare.gov. As of August 2024, CMS is no longer releasing the “HealthCare.gov” metrics. Historical data between July 2023-July 2024 will remain available. The “HealthCare.gov Transitions” metrics, which are the CAA, 2023 required metrics, will continue to be released. Sources: HealthCare.gov application and policy data through May 5, 2024, and T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF) through March 2024 (TAF version 7.1 with T-MSIS enrollment through the end of March 2024). Data include consumers in HealthCare.gov states where the first unwinding renewal cohort is due on or after the end of reporting month (state identification based on HealthCare.gov policy and application data). State data start being reported in the month when the state's first unwinding renewal cohort is due. April data include Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. May data include the previous states and the following new states: Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. June data include the previous states and the following new states: Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. July data include the previous states and Oregon. All HealthCare.gov states are included in this version of the report. Notes: This table includes Marketplace consumers who: 1) submitted a HealthCare.gov application on or after the start of each state’s first reporting month; and 2) who can be linked to an enrollment record in TAF that shows Medicaid or CHIP enrollment between March 2023 and the latest reporting month. Cumulative counts show the number of unique consumers from the included population who had a Marketplace application submitted or a HealthCare.gov Marketplace policy on or after the start of each state’s first reporting month through the latest reporting month. Net counts show the difference between the cumulative counts through a given reporting month and previous reporting months. The data used to produce the metrics are organized by week. Reporting months start on the first Monday of the month and end on the first Sunday of the next month when the last day of the reporting month is not a Sunday. For example, the April 2023 reporting period extends from Monday, April 3 through Sunday, April 30. Data are preliminary and will be restated over time to reflect consumers most recent HealthCare.gov status. Data may change as states resubmit T-MSIS data or data quality issues are identified. Data do not represent Marketplace consumers who had a confirmed Medicaid/CHIP loss. Future reporting will look at coverage transitions for people who lost Medicaid/CHIP. See the data and methodology documentation for a full description of the data sources, measure definitions, and general data limitations. Data notes: Virginia operated a Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE) on the HealthCare.gov platform during 2023. In 2024, the state started operating a State Based Marketplace (SBM) platform. This table only includes data on 2023 applications and policies obtained through the HealthCare.gov Marketplace. Due to limited Marketplace activity on the HealthCare.gov platform in December 2023, data from December 2023 onward are excluded. The cumulative count and percentage for Virginia and the HealthCare.gov total reflect Virginia data from April 2023 through November 2023. The report may include negative 'net counts,' which reflect that there were cumulatively fewer counts from one month to the next. Wyoming has negative ‘net counts’ for most of its metrics in March 2024, including 'Marketplace Consumers with Previous M

This map shows where people have Medicaid or means-tested healthcare coverage in the US (ages under 65). This is shown by State, County, and Census Tract, and uses the most current ACS 5-year estimates.

Metrics from individual Marketplaces during the current reporting period. The report includes data for the states using HealthCare.gov. Sources: HealthCare.gov application and policy data through October 6, 2024, HealthCare.gov inbound account transfer data through November 7, 2024, and T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF) through July 2024 (TAF version 7.1). The table includes states that use HealthCare.gov. Notes: This table includes Marketplace consumers who submitted a HealthCare.gov application from March 6, 2023 - October 6, 2024 or who had an inbound account transfer from April 3, 2023 - November 7, 2024, who can be linked to an enrollment record in TAF that shows a last day of Medicaid or CHIP enrollment from March 31, 2023 - July 31, 2024. Beneficiaries with a leaving event may have continuous coverage through another coverage source, including Medicaid or CHIP coverage in another state. However, a beneficiary that lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage and regained coverage in the same state must have a gap of at least 31 days or a full calendar month. This table includes Medicaid or CHIP beneficiaries with full benefits in the month they left Medicaid or CHIP coverage. ‘Account Transfer Consumers Whose Medicaid or CHIP Coverage was Terminated’ are consumers 1) whose full benefit Medicaid or CHIP coverage was terminated and 2) were sent by a state Medicaid or CHIP agency via secure electronic file to the HealthCare.gov Marketplace in a process referred to as an inbound account transfer either 2 months before or 4 months after they left Medicaid or CHIP. 'Marketplace Consumers Not on Account Transfer Whose Medicaid or CHIP Coverage was Terminated' are consumers 1) who applied at the HealthCare.gov Marketplace and 2) were not sent by a state Medicaid or CHIP agency via an inbound account transfer either 2 months before or 4 months after they left Medicaid or CHIP. Marketplace consumers counts are based on the month Medicaid or CHIP coverage was terminated for a beneficiary. Counts include all recent Marketplace activity. HealthCare.gov data are organized by week. Reporting months start on the first Monday of the month and end on the first Sunday of the next month when the last day of the reporting month is not a Sunday. HealthCare.gov data are through Sunday, October 6. Data are preliminary and will be restated over time to reflect consumers most recent HealthCare.gov status. Data may change as states resubmit T-MSIS data or data quality issues are identified. See the data and methodology documentation for a full description of the data sources, measure definitions, and general data limitations. Data notes: The percentages for the 'Marketplace Consumers Not on Account Transfer whose Medicaid or CHIP Coverage was Terminated' data record group are marked as not available (NA) because the full population of consumers without an account transfer was not available for this report. Virginia operated a Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE) on the HealthCare.gov platform during 2023. In 2024, the state started operating a State Based Marketplace (SBM) platform. This table only includes data about 2023 applications and policies obtained through the HealthCare.gov Marketplace. Due to limited Marketplace activity on the HealthCare.gov platform in November 2023, data from November 2023 onward are excluded. The cumulative count and percentage for Virginia and the HealthCare.gov total reflect Virginia data from April 2023 through October 2023. APTC: Advance Premium Tax Credit; CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program; QHP: Qualified Health Plan; NA: Not Available

Metrics from individual Marketplaces during the current reporting period. The report includes data for the states using State-based Marketplaces (SBMs) that use their own eligibility and enrollment platforms Source: State-based Marketplace (SBM) operational data submitted to CMS. Each monthly reporting period occurs during the first through last day of the reported month. SBMs report relevant Marketplace activity from April 2023 (when unwinding-related renewals were initiated in most SBMs) through the end of a state’s Medicaid unwinding renewal period and processing timeline, which will vary by SBM. Some SBMs did not receive unwinding-related applications during reporting period months in April or May 2023 due to renewal processing timelines. SBMs that are no longer reporting Marketplace activity due to the completion of a state’s Medicaid unwinding renewal period are marked as NA. Some SBMs may revise data from a prior month and thus this data may not align with that previously reported. For April, Idaho’s reporting period was from February 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023. Notes: This table represents consumers whose Medicaid/CHIP coverage was denied or terminated following renewal and 1) whose applications were processed by an SBM through an integrated Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace eligibility system or 2) whose applications/information was sent by a state Medicaid or CHIP agency to an SBM through an account transfer process. Consumers who submitted applications to an SBM that can be matched to a Medicaid/CHIP record are also included. See the "Data Sources and Metrics Definition Overview" at http://www.medicaid.gov for a full description of the differences between the SBM operating systems and resulting data metrics, measure definitions, and general data limitations. As of the September 2023 report, this table was updated to differentiate between SBMs with an integrated Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace eligibility system and those with an account transfer process to better represent the percentage of QHP selections in relation to applicable consumers received and processed by the relevant SBM. State-specific variations are: - Maine’s data and Nevada’s April and May 2023 data report all applications with Medicaid/CHIP denials or terminations, not only those part of the annual renewal process. - Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Washington also report applications with consumers determined ineligible for Medicaid/CHIP due to procedural reasons. - Minnesota and New York report on eligibility and enrollment for their Basic Health Programs (BHP). Effective April 1, 2024, New York transitioned its BHP to a program operated under a section 1332 waiver, which expands eligibility to individuals with incomes up to 250% of FPL. As of the March 2024 data, New York reports on consumers with expanded eligibility and enrollment under the section 1332 waiver program in the BHP data. - Idaho’s April data on consumers eligible for a QHP with financial assistance do not depict a direct correlation to consumers with a QHP selection. - Virginia transitioned from using the HealthCare.gov platform in Plan Year 2023 to an SBM using its own eligibility and enrollment platform in Plan Year 2024. Virginia's data are reported in the HealthCare.gov and HeathCare.gov Transitions Marketplace Medicaid Unwinding Reports through the end of 2024 and is available in SBM reports as of the April 2024 report. Virginia's SBM data report all applications with Medicaid/CHIP denials or terminations, not only those part of the annual renewal process, and as a result are not directly comparable to their data in the HealthCare.gov data reports. - Only SBMs with an automatic plan assignment process have and report automatic QHP selections. These SBMs make automatic plan assignments into a QHP for a subset of individuals and provide a notification of options regarding active selection of an alternative plan and/or, if appli

This map shows where people have Medicaid or means-tested healthcare coverage in the US (ages under 65). This is shown by State, County, and Census Tract, and uses the most current ACS 5-year estimates.The map shows the percentage of the population with Medicaid or means-tested coverage, and also shows the total count of population with Medicaid or means-tested coverage. Because of Medicare starting at age 65, this map represents the population under 65. This map shows a pattern using both centroids and boundaries. This helps clarify where specific areas reach. The data shown is current-year American Community Survey (ACS) data from the US Census. The data is updated each year when the ACS releases its new 5-year estimates. To see the original layers used in this map, visit this group. To learn more about the vintage and data source, click here to visit the Living Atlas layer used in the map.To learn more about when the ACS releases data updates, click here.

This table presents the number of beneficiaries with a delivery, the number of beneficiaries with any SMM condition, and the rate of SMM conditions per 10,000 deliveries, 2017 - 2021. These metrics are based on data in the T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF). Some states have serious data quality issues, making the data unusable for identifying this population. Data for a state are considered unusable based on DQ Atlas thresholds for the following topics: Total Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment, Claims Volume - IP, Claims Volume - OT, Claims Volume - IP, Diagnosis Code - IP, Diagnosis Code - OT, Procedure Codes - OT Professional. Cells with a value of “DQ” indicate that data were suppressed due to unusable data. Data from Maryland, Tennessee, and Utah are omitted from the tables due to data quality concerns. Maryland was excluded in 2017 due to unusable diagnosis codes in the IP file and the OT file. Tennessee was excluded due to unusable diagnosis codes in the IP file in 2017 - 2019. Utah was excluded due to unusable procedure codes on OT professional claims in 2017 - 2020. In addition, states with a high data quality concern on one or more measures are noted in the table in the "Data Quality" column. Please refer to the DQ Atlas at http://medicaid.gov/dq-atlas for more information about data quality assessment methods. Some cells have a value of “DS”. This indicates that data were suppressed for confidentiality reasons because the group included fewer than 11 beneficiaries.

Context

This public dataset was created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The data summarize counts of enrollees who are dually-eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid program, including those in Medicare Savings Programs. “Duals” represent 20 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries, yet they account for 34 percent of all spending by the program, according to the Commonwealth Fund . As a representation of this high-needs, high-cost population, these data offer a view of regions ripe for more intensive care coordination that can address complex social and clinical needs. In addition to the high cost savings opportunity to deliver upstream clinical interventions, this population represents the county-by-county volume of patients who are eligible for both state level (Medicaid) and federal level (Medicare) reimbursements and potential funding streams to address unmet social needs across various programs, waivers, and other projects. The dataset includes eligibility type and enrollment by quarter, at both the state and county level. These data represent monthly snapshots submitted by states to the CMS, which are inherently lower than ever-enrolled counts (which include persons enrolled at any time during a calendar year.) For more information on dually eligible beneficiaries

Querying BigQuery tables

You can use the BigQuery Python client library to query tables in this dataset in Kernels. Note that methods available in Kernels are limited to querying data. Tables are at bigquery-public-data.sdoh_cms_dual_eligible_enrollment.

Sample Query

In what counties in Michigan has the number of dual-eligible individuals increased the most from 2015 to 2018? Find the counties in Michigan which have experienced the largest increase of dual enrollment households

duals_Jan_2015 AS ( SELECT Public_Total AS duals_2015, County_Name, FIPS FROM bigquery-public-data.sdoh_cms_dual_eligible_enrollment.dual_eligible_enrollment_by_county_and_program WHERE State_Abbr = "MI" AND Date = '2015-12-01' ),

duals_increase AS ( SELECT d18.FIPS, d18.County_Name, d15.duals_2015, d18.duals_2018, (d18.duals_2018 - d15.duals_2015) AS total_duals_diff FROM duals_Jan_2018 d18 JOIN duals_Jan_2015 d15 ON d18.FIPS = d15.FIPS )

SELECT * FROM duals_increase WHERE total_duals_diff IS NOT NULL ORDER BY total_duals_diff DESC

In 2021, 27 percent of Hispanic people in non-Medicaid expansion states were uninsured, this was almost double in comparison to 15 percent in Medicaid expansion states. In general, most ethnic groups are more likely to be uninsured in non-Medicaid expansion states compared to expansion states. This statistic shows the share of population by ethnicity without health insurance in the United States in 2021, by state Medicaid expansion status.

Analysis of ‘Share of Medicaid Enrollees in Managed Care’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/f28822ae-11ec-4f57-948a-0e848d76ded0 on 26 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

The Share of Medicaid Enrollees in any Managed Care and in Comprehensive Managed CaAre profiles state-level enrollment statistics (numbers and percentages) of total Medicaid enrollees in any type of managed care as well as those enrolled specifically in comprehensive managed care programs. The report provides managed care enrollment by state with all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US territories are represented in these data.

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

California has more Medicaid and CHIP enrollees than any other state in the United States. As of April 2023, approximately 13 million Americans were enrolled in the Medicaid health insurance programs in California, which accounted for approximately 15 percent of the total number of Medicaid enrollees nationwide (94.4 million).

Blow to Medicaid expansion plans California is one of many states that has expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to encourage more low-income adults to sign up for health coverage. One of the original aims of the ACA was to limit some of the variations in state Medicaid programs, but the Supreme Court ruled that the expansion should be optional. Governors of the states that did not expand said they were concerned about long-term costs. California is the leading state for Medicaid expenditure, spending approximately 97.8 billion U.S. dollars in FY2020.

Health coverage for children The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created as a complement to Medicaid, expanding the reach of government-funded health coverage to more children in low-income families. As of May 2021, over five million children were enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP programs in California, more than any other state. As of January 2021, the median Medicaid/CHIP eligibility level for children was 255 percent of the federal poverty level.