Pros And Cons Of Medicaid In America

In the United States, Medicare is the program supports people over age 65 with medical care. It also provides support for persons with certain disabilities and people of all ages who have kidney failure. Medicaid is a state administered program that provides medical support for a broad range of people. However, each state administers Medicaid individually and this creates inconsistencies in the program across the country. There are specific rules for judging just how much money someone receiving Medicaid can make and be eligible. In addition, there are separate rules for people in nursing homes and children with disabilities who live at home. There is a long list of regulations that explain who is eligible for which services. The Patient Protection

The eligibility rules for Medicaid have been criticized as confusing. Medicaid is a state administered program and its rules vary across states. That can present a significant problem to someone enrolled in Medicaid that moves across state lines. The 2012 Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) included some changes in Medicaid enrollment procedures.

President Lyndon Johnson was responsible for the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 (Berkowitz, 2008). Since then, both programs have undergone a variety of changes. The passage of the ACA in March 2013 followed decades of debate over health care reform in the United States at all levels of government. ACA supporters believe the legislation would go a long way to address the millions of Americans without health insurance coverage.

Understanding

In the beginning, Medicare was thought of as a "sickness insurance program." There were concerns that large segments of the population, especially laborers, who could not afford to pay their medical bills. While Medicare was in its planning stages, the American Medical Association (AMA) opposed a national plan from the start. "The AMA, in common with many Americans, thought of medical care as largely a private transaction between a medical practitioner and a patient. There was no need for the State to intervene in this relationship" (Berkowitz, 2008, p. 82). It was not until President John F. Kennedy began the push for a national health care plan in 1961 that Medicare received significant political support (Berkowitz, 2008). However, the bill introducing Medicare was defeated in 1962. Many legislators felt the initiative lack support in the private sector. According to Berkowitz, New York Senator Jackob Javits was one of those politicians who continually lobbied for the private sector to be given continued consideration in new health care legislation.

Important to Javits' proposals and to other alternatives offered at the time was the notion of choice. Representative John Lindsay (R-NY) proposed that consumers be given a fundamental choice. They could either accept government health insurance, to be run by the states, or a private health care plan. If they chose the private health plan, they would receive