By: Jane Perkins
Executive Summary
From providing substantial federal financial support to myriad cost-savings for states in order to provide quality health care for low-income individuals and underserved communities, Legal Director Jane Perkins details the many compelling reasons why state lawmakers should push to expand Medicaid in their states. For example, expanding Medicaid is ?critical for women.? Perkins notes, that, ?Compared with other countries (e.g. Germany, Australia, France, Canada, UK), more women in the U.S. report that they cannot get care because of cost. Fully 77 percent of uninsured women aged 19-64 experienced cost-related access problems.? Expanding Medicaid would reduce the ?number of uninsured women aged 16-64 in each of the 50 states.? And while Medicaid expansion targets low-income adults, it also helps children. ?Medicaid Expansion,? Perkins writes, ?will increase coverage for parents; thus their health status is expected to improve. When parents and caretakers are insured, their children are more likely to be insured and to make more effective use of their coverage.?
