Medicaid
Delivering high-quality Medicaid coverage and services
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Medicaid gives millions of Americans access to the front door of the health care system. It helps keep them healthy and provides for those with acute and chronic care needs.
Kaiser Permanente’s participation in Medicaid is core to our mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve.
We care for 1.5 million people who are insured through Medicaid, taking a population health approach to manage their care.
We support our members’ physical, mental, and social health by proactively identifying their needs and risks. Through early and ongoing intervention, we help our Medicaid members stay healthier. That is how we’re also addressing the broader chronic disease epidemic.
For almost 60 years, Medicaid has provided coverage and access to care for people with low incomes and people with disabilities.
Medicaid covers:
- Prenatal care
- Primary care
- Preventive care
- Hospital services
- Mental health care
It is the largest payer for nursing home care in this country.
Medicaid plays an especially important role in supporting the financial integrity of community health centers and hospitals.
Medicaid has been particularly helpful for rural hospitals. The program also helps community health centers augment and improve the care they offer.
60%
of children receive their health coverage and care through Medicaid1
10 million
Americans under the age of 65 who have disabilities rely on Medicaid for their treatment and care2
14 million
Americans living in rural areas get their care and coverage through Medicaid3
Kaiser Permanente urges lawmakers to take action to support Medicaid.
- Retain the current share of federal funding for Medicaid. This is especially critical at a time when state budgets are tight, and many states are considering raising taxes to make up for shortfalls.
- Continue coverage for low-income adults receiving care and coverage from Medicaid expansion. This not only ensures care for these adults, it also helps community health centers and hospitals maintain financial stability.
- Support a whole-person care approach. Policy leaders can bolster beneficiaries’ physical, mental, and social health by supporting Medicaid alongside other programs that help them meet social needs like housing, food security, education, and employment training.
- Support Medicaid payment methodologies that account for the full range of health plan and provider models. This includes Kaiser Permanente’s integrated care model.
If work requirements are imposed, policymakers should encourage support for social services that minimize barriers to employment for low-income populations. This includes access to job training and employment programs, child care, transportation, mental health and wellness services, and substance use and recovery services.
Policy leaders also need to understand the critical role that value-based care plays in ensuring access to care and in improving care quality in a manner that is financially sustainable for Medicaid. With competition among different care and coverage models on the basis of value, Medicaid and the people it serves will benefit from higher-quality and more affordable care.
1 Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Budget Basics: Medicaid, 2024.
2 Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.
3 MACPAC, 2021.
