Alyssa Lane
Medicaid is a significant source of health insurance coverage for people in the United States, with 18.8%-18.9% of the population insured by the program in 2022 and 2023. This equates to around 82-83 million people, including low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities. The percentage of people with Medicaid coverage varies across states, from 11% in Utah to 34% in New Mexico, and is generally higher in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of people enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP in 50 states and the District of Columbia | 79,034,066 |
| Percentage of Americans on Medicaid | 20% |
| Medicaid beneficiaries' access to care compared to uninsured people | Better access |
| Medicaid beneficiaries' access to care compared to people with private insurance | Comparable |
| Medicaid beneficiaries' understanding of their insurance | Many mistakenly believe they're uninsured |
| Spending per enrollee aged 65 and older | $18,923 |
| Spending per enrollee eligible because of disability | $18,437 |
| Spending per enrollee in Alabama | $3,713 |
| Spending per enrollee in the District of Columbia | $10,229 |
| Percentage of Americans with favorable views of Medicaid | 77% |
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What You'll Learn
- Medicaid provides health and long-term care coverage to 82 million people
- Medicaid beneficiaries have better access to care than uninsured people
- Medicaid is viewed favorably by a majority of Americans
- Medicaid spending varies across states
- Some Americans don't realize their insurance is funded by Medicaid
Medicaid provides health and long-term care coverage to 82 million people
Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide health and long-term care coverage to almost 82 million people in the United States. This includes low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities. In fact, seniors and individuals with disabilities account for 23% of enrollment, while children account for 34%. Notably, 79,034,066 people were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP across all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of November 2024.
Medicaid is a crucial source of funding for hospitals, community health centers, physicians, and nursing homes. It offers benefits beyond health insurance, such as non-emergency medical transportation, which helps enrollees attend appointments. Additionally, it provides comprehensive benefits for children through the Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) services.
Research indicates that Medicaid beneficiaries have significantly better access to care than the uninsured, primarily due to federal rules limiting out-of-pocket expenses. They are less likely to delay or forgo necessary treatment due to cost. Interestingly, some Americans enrolled in Medicaid are unaware that they have insurance through the program. This lack of understanding has widened the gap between the number of people with Medicaid and those who believe they have it, with a difference of about 18.5 million during the pandemic.
Medicaid is viewed favorably by a majority of Americans, with three-fourths expressing positive opinions in a KFF tracking poll. However, there are concerns about potential changes to government health programs and their impact on the level of benefits available to Medicaid recipients. Despite this, Medicaid plays a vital role in ensuring access to healthcare for millions of people across the United States.
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Medicaid beneficiaries have better access to care than uninsured people
Medicaid is a program that provides comprehensive health and long-term care coverage to millions of low-income people in the United States. It is jointly financed by states and the federal government but administered by states within broad federal rules. As of November 2024, around 79 million people were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) across 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Medicaid beneficiaries have significantly better access to care than uninsured people. Research shows that those with Medicaid coverage fare much better than the uninsured on diverse measures of access to care, utilization, and unmet needs. For example, children enrolled in Medicaid are more likely to have a usual source of care and receive well-child care, and they are less likely to have unmet or delayed needs for medical care, dental care, and prescription drugs due to costs. Similarly, non-elderly adults with Medicaid are more likely to report healthcare visits and receive timely care, and they are less likely to delay or go without needed care because of costs.
Medicaid eligibility is strongly correlated with poverty and poor health and disability, and beneficiaries tend to have a poorer health profile than the uninsured. Despite this, Medicaid beneficiaries have better access to care, and federal rules generally limit out-of-pocket costs for Medicaid enrollees. Medicaid covers a wide range of services, including prenatal care, dental care, cancer screening, and prescription drugs. It also covers specific populations, such as children with special healthcare needs, nursing home residents, adults with mental illnesses, and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Expanding access to Medicaid is crucial, as many states choosing not to expand coverage have a relatively higher proportion of residents without health insurance. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2010, aims to address health inequalities by mandating that most US citizens and legal residents have health insurance. The largest proportion of previously uninsured Americans is expected to gain coverage through Medicaid expansion. However, it is important to note that even with Medicaid, beneficiaries may still experience delays in accessing specialty care and face challenges in certain areas, such as accessing psychiatrists and dentists due to provider shortages and lower physician participation.
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Medicaid is viewed favorably by a majority of Americans
The public has viewed Medicaid more positively than negatively since at least the late 1990s. The January 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll found that 75% of the public has either a "very favorable" (37%) or "somewhat favorable" (40%) view of the program. This includes majorities of Democrats (87%), independents (81%), and Republicans (63%). Additionally, 62% of voters who voted for President Trump in 2024 view the program favorably.
Medicaid is the primary source of health insurance for approximately 83 million low-income people in the United States, including children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities. It accounts for one-fifth of healthcare spending and more than half of spending for long-term care. The program is jointly financed by states and the federal government but administered by states within broad federal guidelines.
While there is some confusion about who and what is covered by Medicaid, most Americans believe the program is working well for those it covers. A majority of adults (56%) also say that Medicaid is important for them and their families, with 35% considering it "very important." This is reflected in the February 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll, which found that only 17% of adults want to see Congress decrease federal spending on Medicaid, while 42% want to see an increase, and 40% want to keep funding about the same.
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Medicaid spending varies across states
Medicaid is a federal program that provides health and long-term care coverage to almost 82 million low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities in the United States. States have the flexibility to design their Medicaid programs within federal guidelines, which leads to variations in spending across states.
The spending per enrollee varies significantly across states, ranging from $3,750 to $12,425, with a median spending of $7,784. States with the lowest spending per enrollee include Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, and Nevada, while Washington, D.C., Virginia, Massachusetts, and Minnesota reported the highest spending per enrollee.
Several factors contribute to the variation in per-enrollee spending across states. These include differences in state populations and demographics, the ability to raise revenue, and variations in healthcare costs and markets. For example, states with a larger population and a higher cost of living tend to have higher per-enrollee spending.
Additionally, the variation in spending is also evident within each eligibility group across states. For instance, in Virginia, there was a wide range of spending for individuals with disabilities, with 25% having spending less than $16,051 and 5% having spending more than $127,703. Similarly, in Alabama, there was a significant variation in spending for seniors, with 25% having spending less than $2,061 and 25% having spending as high as $28,761.
Furthermore, expansion states, which have adopted Medicaid expansion, tend to have higher per-enrollee spending compared to non-expansion states. Expansion states spent an average of $8,116 per enrollee, while non-expansion states spent $5,988 per enrollee. These differences may be attributed to state policy choices, payment rates, and regional variations in healthcare costs.
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Some Americans don't realize their insurance is funded by Medicaid
Medicaid is the health insurance program for people with low incomes or certain disabilities. About 72 million people, or about a fifth of all the people living in the United States, are enrolled in the program. It operates with state and federal funding, but each state has the freedom to choose how to run its program within federal rules. As a result, Medicaid is a sprawling patchwork of programs that can confuse lawmakers, top health officials, and beneficiaries.
Some Americans who rely on Medicaid to pay for their healthcare don't realize that their insurance is funded by that very program, which congressional Republicans are looking to shrink. One reason for this is that state programs aren't always called "Medicaid." Many states have rebranded their programs with consumer-friendly names such as SoonerCare in Oklahoma, Apple Health in Washington, Medi-Cal in California, or TennCare in Tennessee. Additionally, nearly all states now use private insurance companies such as UnitedHealth or Blue Cross Blue Shield to run their Medicaid programs. This means that Medicaid enrollees may hold an insurance card and paperwork with the name of a commercial insurance company.
Furthermore, some uninsured people enroll in Medicaid when they show up at an emergency room or clinic needing care. Most providers will check for Medicaid eligibility if a person doesn’t have another form of insurance. People who become Medicaid beneficiaries in this way may not realize it’s Medicaid paying for their care.
The confusion over Medicaid is affecting the public debate over funding cuts. From a public health perspective, it may not be a huge problem if people think they have one type of insurance and misclassify it, as long as they’re getting care. However, it can be tricky if people don’t recognize they have Medicaid and try to weigh in on policies that affect the program. Less funding for Medicaid, or an increase in the number of people without insurance, would harm people with any kind of insurance. It could lead to longer wait times at hospitals, fewer services offered, and, in some cases, hospital closures.
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Frequently asked questions
In 2023, 92% of people in the US, or approximately 305 million people, had health insurance.
In 2023, 18.9% of people with health insurance were on Medicaid, which is approximately 57.3 million people.
Medicaid is available to low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.
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