An Aspect of Helth Care Reform in the United States : Focusing on trend of Medicaid reform

The establishment of Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act) in 1965 is a jointly-funded, state-administered federal program that provides health care to the indigent. Medicaid is a Federal-State matching entitlement program providing medical assistance to low-income persons who are aged, blind, disabled, members of families with dependent children, and certain other pregnant women and children. The federal government then provides a grant of between 50% and 83% of the program's cost. The Medicaid legislation became effective on January 1, 1966. Today, all fifty states have Medicaid programs. The federal government established broad guidelines under which states are allowed to structure Medicaid programs specific to the needs of their citizens. Recipients numbered an estimated 35.2 million in 1995, and the cost has increased to $184.7 billion in 1998. The increasing cost of Medicaid has hit the states even harder than the federal government. On average, states pay 45% of Medicaid's cost. Medicaid dominates most states' health budgets, and is the second largest budget item in many states. Nevertheless, because of an inability to meet certain eligibility criteria, many of the targeted residents are not eligible for Medicaid assistance. Now, more than 40 million of Americans have no health insurance or other coverage and lack the income and resources needed to abtaion health care