Whereas the implications of the election on the way forward for abortion entry have acquired in depth consideration, the stakes are additionally excessive for the long run instructions of Medicaid, a program that seven in ten girls have a connection to. Vice President Harris and former President Trump maintain vastly completely different views on abortion and Medicaid, key points affecting girls’s well being, significantly for girls of their reproductive years and with decrease incomes. With regard to Medicaid, the Biden-Harris Administration coverage proposals have usually targeted on efforts to “defend and strengthen Medicaid and the Reasonably priced Care Act (ACA)”, in addition to repealing the Hyde Modification, which limits federal spending on abortion; in distinction, Former President Trump supported plans to repeal or weaken the ACA, cap and cut back Medicaid financing, and prohibit Medicaid eligibility whereas he was president. In a latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman identified that Medicaid is this system probably to be within the crosshairs if Republicans take management this November is Medicaid.
Adjustments associated to Medicaid might have main penalties for well being protection of girls with low incomes in addition to being pregnant, postpartum and different reproductive well being care for girls. Listed here are the highest 5 issues to learn about girls and Medicaid forward of the election.
Medicaid is a serious supply of protection for girls with low incomes (and their youngsters). Medicaid offers protection to one in 5 non-elderly grownup girls, the biggest supply of protection after employer protection (Determine 1). Medicaid covers 43 % of non-elderly girls with low incomes (earnings under 200% FPL) and over half (52%) of poor girls (earnings under 100% FPL). Medicaid additionally covers 4 in ten youngsters and eight in ten poor youngsters..
Medicaid offers protection to girls throughout the lifespan, together with girls who’re older and people with persistent disabilities. Medicaid offers protection to girls with low incomes who qualify as a result of they meet one of many eligibility classes (being pregnant, guardian, incapacity, or age 65+), or have earnings lower than 138% of poverty via the ACA enlargement pathway. Practically two-thirds (64%) of grownup girls who’re coated by Medicaid are of child-bearing age. Medicaid additionally covers over 4 in ten (44%) nonelderly girls with a broad vary of bodily and psychological disabilities, together with bodily impairments and extreme psychological sicknesses. Medicaid funds over half (54%) of all long-term care spending, which is essential for a lot of frail aged girls and girls who qualify on the premise of incapacity. In 2021, 20% of girls with Medicare had been additionally enrolled in Medicaid. For these girls, Medicaid helps to pay Medicare premiums, deductibles and cost-sharing in addition to pay for companies not usually coated by Medicare comparable to long-term care..
Medicaid is a key supply of protection for pregnant and postpartum girls and births in addition to entry to household planning and preventive companies. Medicaid covers over 4 in 10 births nationally and nearly all of births in lots of states. Medicaid has additionally been used as a lever to assist deal with disparities in entry and outcomes in maternal and toddler well being. KFF analysis has discovered that the ACA’s Medicaid enlargement promotes continuity of protection in each the prenatal and postpartum intervals. Moreover, because of a provision within the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, almost all states now permit pregnancy-related protection to proceed via one yr postpartum. Over half of the states have established applications that use Medicaid funds to cowl the prices of household planning companies for low-income girls who stay uninsured and Medicaid accounts for 75% of all publicly funded household planning. Most states have restricted scope Medicaid applications to pay for breast and cervical most cancers therapy for sure low-income uninsured girls..
Medicaid offers very restricted entry to abortion companies. The federal Hyde Modification prohibits federal spending on abortions, besides when the being pregnant is a results of rape or incest, or when it jeopardizes the lifetime of the pregnant particular person. Nonetheless, states could use their very own unmatched funds to pay for abortions for Medicaid enrollees in different circumstances and 19 states presently achieve this..
Medicaid has broad help and nearly all of enrollees choose to maintain it as it’s immediately. The general public’s views of Medicaid are additionally largely optimistic. KFF public opinion polling reveals Medicaid has broad help throughout political events, with majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans expressing a positive view of this system. As well as, nearly all of the general public and Medicaid enrollees choose to maintain Medicaid as it’s immediately, with the federal authorities guaranteeing protection for low-income folks, setting requirements for who states cowl and what advantages folks get, and matching state Medicaid spending because the variety of folks on this system goes up or down. Seven in ten girls have a private connection to Medicaid (together with medical insurance, pregnancy-related care, house well being care, or nursing house care, protection for a kid, or to assist pay for Medicare premiums for themselves, a member of the family or shut pal). Eight in ten grownup girls (79%) have a positive opinion of this system (Determine 5)..
