Medicaid and Family Health

Medicaid, created by federal legislation in 1965, provides health care access to low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities in the [Page 726]United States. Medicaid is the largest public provider of children's health insurance in the United States: More than 28 million children are enrolled, representing 37% of U.S. children, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Medicaid is an important safety net for families who do not have employer-provided health insurance or private insurance. CMS estimates that without this program, more than 40 million persons would not have had access to health care in 2007. Another 16 million persons are expected to be served by Medicaid when all the provisions of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are ...