By: Wayne Turner
Executive Summary
With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, and the implementation of Medicaid expansions and Marketplaces in 2014, the U.S. significantly expanded access to health insurance coverage. Architects of the ACA rightly viewed Medicaid as an essential piece of the universal coverage puzzle. Indeed, Medicaid is a special piece of the coverage pie.
This paper explains why it is essential for health coverage in the U.S. to maintain what makes Medicaid, Medicaid. For additional information about unique and important aspects of the Medicaid program, check out our entire What Makes Medicaid, Medicaid? series. And for a high-level overview of this paper, see our Highlights: What Makes Medicaid, Medicaid? factsheet.
This series was originally published in 2015 and an archival copy can be found here.
