Question

What is the social challenge that the Medicaid policy is designed to address? – What does the Medicaid policy offer? – Who is eligible to receive the policy benefits? – How redistributive is the policy?

Answer 1

What is the social challenge that the Medicaid policy is designed to address? – What does the Medicaid policy offer? – Who is eligible to receive the policy benefits? – How redistributive is the policy?

Medicaid started in 1956 authorized under title XIX of security social security act alongside Medicare the sole purpose is to address the challenge of providing health care coverage to the low-income group. Medicaid covers 1 in 5 American which includes low-income children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities.

Medicaid policy offers a broad level of health care coverage. The coverage includes doctors’ visits, hospital expenses, nursing home care, home health care, etc. Medicaid also provides long-term care both in a nursing home and at home care.

The eligibility varies from state to state but it covers the depending n family size and income. In all states it provides coverage for the following:

• Some low-income group people, families, children and elderly, pregnant woman and people with disabilities.
• In some states, it covers all low-income adults below a certain income level.
• The eligibility can be verified on the Medicaid website.

The Medicaid though provides health care facility to the poor and the low-income group categorized differently in different states is the least redistributive. There is no appreciable shift from high-income group to the low-income group. The different states also lack the infrastructure required to support the Medicaid policies. Here the redistribution is because Medicaid is funded by the taxpayers basically the people who fall in the tax bracket. The administration has defined the eligibility under Medicaid which covers the low-income group and people classified as disabled. The new taxes which fund Medicaid attempt to make it redistributive.

To conclude Medicaid supports the people of a certain income group and family size. They provide medical cover and support the people to get a healthy life. The Medicaid is funded by taxpayers hence making the policy partially redistributive.