In the wake of the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, as many as 500,000 low-income individuals could gain health insurance coverage through Medicaid, according to health policy experts at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In a January 3, 2019 JAMA Viewpoint article, Anna Goldman, a general internal medicine fellow in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and Benjamin Sommers, associate professor of health policy and economics, provided an update on the status of Medicaid expansion and recent research on the ongoing effects of the law.
Expansion could occur in five states: three through ballot measures (Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah), and two through the election of new governors who are supportive of expansion (Kansas and Maine), the authors wrote. Evidence suggests that new Medicaid enrollees will experience improvements in health care access, preventive services, and physical health, and are likely to find health care more affordable.
Although some state officials have expressed concern that expanding Medicaid would be fiscally irresponsible for states, research has found that budgets in states that previously expanded Medicaid have been only minimally affected, according to the authors.
There remain challenges and uncertainty surrounding Medicaid. For example, there are new work requirements for non-disabled Medicaid recipients in several states, which experts estimate could lead to people losing coverage. These requirements are being challenged in court.
“While Medicaid expansion clearly gained significant momentum this November, the future of the program will again be at stake on state and federal ballots in 2020,” the authors wrote.
Read the JAMA Viewpoint article: Medicaid Expansion Gains Momentum: Postelection Prospects and Potential Implications
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A victory for Medicaid expansion (Harvard Chan School news)
Savings from Medicaid work requirements slim, but loss of coverage could be significant (Harvard Chan School news)