On May 3, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released a brief on the role of Medicaid in expanding insurance coverage under the national health care reform law.  The brief is based on interviews with Medicaid directors and experts, and outlines the unique opportunities and obstacles Medicaid faces under health care reform.

From the report: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care reform legislation signed into law on March 23, 2010, expands Medicaid significantly to cover millions more low-income, uninsured individuals – primarily, working-age adults who have no previous experience in the program. Anticipating the possibility of an expanded national role for Medicaid, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and Lake Research Partners recently interviewed Medicaid program directors, experts, and thought leaders concerning the opportunities for strengthening Medicaid’s reach to consumers and motivating participation, as well as the related challenges. All of those interviewed saw in the prospect of a new “culture of coverage” and the expansion of Medicaid a strategic moment to recast Medicaid as an affordable health coverage program for working people and families, and to improve its enrollment and renewal operations. They viewed achieving strong Medicaid participation as essential to fulfilling reform’s broader coverage goals.

Full report:  Optimizing Medicaid Enrollment: Perspectives on Strengthening Medicaid’s Reach under Health Care Reform (PDF | 249.53 KB)

Kaiser Family Foundation.  (2010).  Optimizing Medicaid enrollment: perspectives on strengthening Medicaid’s reach under health care reform.