In a recent Washington Examiner post, Sally Pipes painted a biased, inaccurate, and incomplete picture of the Medicaid program and its expansion.
Pipes wrote, for example, that Medicaid represents a significant portion of state budgets. Medicaid is a priority investment, it is true, but that’s not the whole story. Since 1999, the per-enrollee costs of Medicaid have grown more slowly than costs per person for Medicare and private insurance. In some years, Medicaid spending per enrollee actually decreased.
Pipes also claimed that expansion limits the most vulnerable Americans’ access to care. Quite the contrary. Eighty-four percent of Medicaid enrollees reported regular access to the care they needed. Also, recent data shows that Americans with Medicaid have significantly better access to affordable healthcare and preventive services than people without coverage, high satisfaction rates, and stronger financial security.
Many conservative policymakers have concluded that Medicaid expansion is the right solution for their states. At a signing ceremony for Utah’s Medicaid expansion bill, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert stated “We want to provide access to affordable healthcare for all of our people, but particularly for those who are most vulnerable in society who need a little helping hand,” all while being responsible with the state’s budget.
Medicaid helps millions of struggling families every day — children, veterans, people with a disability, and low-income adults. It needs to work for our most vulnerable citizens who depend on it — and the hardworking taxpayers who pay for it. When we promote prevention and individual health, when we focus on proven solutions that work, we can deliver better results for Medicaid enrollees and better savings for taxpayers.
Rhys W. Jones is vice president of Medicaid policy and advocacy for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the national association whose members provide coverage for healthcare and related services.
