60 Years of Medicaid: A Lifeline Worth Protecting
Today, Medicaid celebrates its 60th Anniversary. Medicaid started as a program to combat the “War on Poverty,” and six decades later, Medicaid has become the foundation of America’s health care system. In Arizona, Medicaid provides nearly two million Arizonans with life-saving health care, and provides health care for 41% of all children in Arizona.
Although Arizona was the last state to implement a Medicaid program, Arizona transformed the health care system in 1982 by being the first state to create a publicly funded, privately operated managed care Medicaid program – the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). AHCCCS is nationally recognized for providing high-quality, cost-effective health care throughout Arizona. This allows Arizonans who have health care through AHCCCS to use the same hospitals, see the same doctors, and have access to the same quality health care as Arizonans who are privately insured.
Medicaid is one of the most popular programs in the nation, with 83% of the American public having a favorable view of Medicaid. This translates locally to our state as well when the people of Arizona showed their support for AHCCCS/Medicaid by voting overwhelmingly (58%) to expand Medicaid to cover more Arizonans. Repeatedly, bipartisan groups of legislators and governors have expanded Medicaid to include KidsCare (Children’s Health Insurance Program) and to extend eligibility to more adults and children.
AHCCCS/Medicaid plays an especially important role in providing health coverage for people living in small towns and rural communities in Arizona, a trend that is particularly striking among children. AHCCCS and KidsCare cover 55% of children in small towns and rural areas of Arizona, while covering 34.9% in metro areas, according to an analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF).
When more children and adults have access to health care, it’s good for them and for our state. However, much of this progress is at risk due to cuts of nearly $1 trillion to the Medicaid program by Congress, putting the health and economic well-being of individuals, families, and communities at risk. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that recent cuts by Congress will increase the number of uninsured people by 10 million over the next ten years.
This puts rural hospitals and health centers at risk of reducing services or even closing. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association estimates “more than 55% of Arizona hospitals could operate in the red.” Reductions in services, financially strained hospitals and health care providers, and job losses will impact everyone in Arizona. AHCCCS/Medicaid is a lifeline to AHCCCS/Medicaid recipients, and has a crucial role in our health care system and economy.
How can you help? The fight to protect this important program is not over. It is important that we continue to share our stories – at the federal and state level – about the devastating impact of recent federal cuts so AHCCCS/Medicaid can continue providing health care for another 60+ years.
