Medicaid 101: What You Need To Know

With some states grappling over whether to expand Medicaid, and Congress facing big decisions about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), this briefing reviewed the basics about both programs, and discuss current issues.  Co-hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Alliance for Health Reform, KFF’s Diane Rowland and Ed Howard of the Alliance moderated the discussion.
Speakers included:
  • Robin Rudowitz, associate director, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, provided an overview of the Medicaid program, including program and financing structure, enrollment and expenditures, and changes made to the program by the ACA;
  • Thomas Betlach, president of the board, National Association of Medicaid Directors, and director, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, discussed how states administer Medicaid, including eligibility and enrollment, as well as delivery system innovations and payment reform. He also highlighted other key issues from the states’ perspective;
  • Anne Schwartz, executive director, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), discussed access and payment issues around Medicaid and CHIP, including the implications of funding for CHIP expiring on September 30, 2015; and
  • Vikki Wachino, acting director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, CMS, discussed federal priorities for Medicaid moving forward.

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