Medicaid is a state administered health insurance program financed and is operated jointly by the federal and state government. The program gears towards helping low-income people of all ages who do not have the money or insurance to pay for health care. This program pays for medical care to assist persons and families who cannot afford it.
History
Medicaid was established under President Lyndon B. Johnson through the Social Security Amendment of 1965, to provide medical coverage to all elderly aged 65 and over and to the poor. In 1972, the social security Act were more developed creating federal Medicaid benefits to disable people and persons in the end stages of renal disease.
Eligibility
Medicaid is the nation’s largest health coverage program for over 60 million Americans including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors and individuals with disabilities. For someone to be eligible for Medicaid one must satisfy federal and state criteria regarding residency, immigration status and documentation of United States citizenship.
Medicaid aims at providing medical and other health care services to eligible people so that they are able to remain as self-sufficient as possible. Medicaid payments for medical expenses are paid directly to physicians, hospitals and or treatment facilities.
Medicaid eligibility rules are different for each state but similar in numerous areas, however, Medicaid benefits are solely connected to the main factor ‘income’. Each State have its own guidelines that are subject to federal rules and regulations, therefore, certain services must be covered by the state in order to receive federal funding. On the other hand, some services are optional and are elected by states.
Features of Medicaid
Features of Medicaid include medical care and prescription drugs benefits for individuals in full or in portion. In some cases, depending on the individual income they may be asked to pay a portion of the cost of medical
References: 1. http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/overview.aspx 2. http://ce.columbia.edu/files/ce/pdf/actu/actu-uk.pdf 3. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos//uk.html 4. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html 5. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/News/News-Releases/2010/Jun/US-Ranks-Last-Among-Seven-Countries.aspx