Medicaid Reform

Background

The Medicaid program has gone through major changes in recent years. Thanks to the Medicaid expansion provision in the Affordable Care Act, in many states the program is now more widely available to those who need coverage. At the same time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is evaluating waivers that allow states to experiment with non-traditional ways of providing that coverage to beneficiaries.

Where We Stand

The American College of Physicians advocates to make the Medicaid program work for both internal medicine physicians and their patients. This includes advocating to ensure that Medicaid reimbursement rates are adequate to reimburse physicians for the cost of providing services. We also believe that Medicaid minimum eligibility standards should be uniform on a national basis and policymakers should refrain from enacting policy changes that would result in vulnerable persons being dropped from Medicaid coverage.