Medicaid And Medicare Health Care For Individuals And...

The government has two programs that provide health care to specific groups of people in the United States known as Medicaid and Medicare. After President Johnson signed the Social Security Act in 1965, the government created these two programs. Each of the programs have their own eligibility requirements, coverage, and cost. The Healthcare reform effected both programs eligibility requirements, cost, and coverage. Medicaid provides healthcare insurance for individuals and families with low income. The federal government controls the program, but the states establish their own eligibility requirements and determines the type, duration, rate of payment, and amount of services. Even though the state can make final decisions on what they†¦show more content†¦Age, pregnancy status, disability status, and citizenship also effect a person eligibility for Medicaid. The following people meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid: pregnant women and children under 6 with an incom e at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), Supplemental Security Income recipients, adoption or foster care recipients, special protected groups, children under 19 living with a family with an income at or below FPL, and certain Medicare beneficiaries. Medicaid does not give money to the individual instead; it sends the payment to the health care provider. They base the payment off either the fee-for-service agreement or prepayment arrangements. The federal government then reimburses the state their share of Medicaid expenditures. The federal government bases each states Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) each year based off its average per capita income level. Richer states get less than the poorer, but the FMAP must range between 50% and 83%. Some states may charge small fees on some Medicaid beneficiaries but can not on pregnant women, children under 18, or nursing home/hospital residents (MNT). The healthcare reform had different effects in different states , but overall it had effects on Medicaid’s cost and coverage. Some states could see the effects of the reform as good and some as bad depending on how it affected the state itself. Since Medicaid programs among the states have different