Medicaid

Medicaid is a U.S. governmental program that is funded by federal and state (and, in some cases, [Page 738]local) governments, is administered by the states under federal guidance, and is intended to cover the costs of medical and other healthcare-related services for the poorest of America's citizens. It was enacted in 1965, exemplifying the government's concern about access to medical care for two large segments of the U.S. population—the elderly and the poor. Buried within legislation enacting Medicare (as Title XVIII of the Social Security Act), through which federally supported health insurance was extended to the country's elderly, Medicaid (as Title XIX of the Social Security Act) was enacted as part of the continuing efforts of the federal and state governments' limited efforts to fund ...