Protecting Medicaid
Medicaid is the nation’s only comprehensive health care safety
net. For millions of older and disabled Americans, Medicaid is the only link to
the most basic primary care.
Medicaid does need to be modernized and made more efficient. For many states,
annual increases in Medicaid spending have created a financial burden that has
grown into a crisis. Tight budgets and competing priorities are leading
policymakers at both the state and federal levels to focus on options for
reducing Medicaid outlays.
Down the road, the real driver of Medicaid costs will be meeting the long
term care needs of a rapidly
aging nation. The current financing and delivery system impoverishes workers
and consumers, places undue financial stress on state and local governments, and
can even compromise the quality of the care provided.
Far too many long term care workers lack adequate wages or access to health
benefits. This is no way to build a stable workforce that can provide the
hands-on care our seniors will need. Failure to address these issues will leave
us with a health care system that is unstable, poor quality, and which
ultimately will hurt those it is supposed to protect. As a nation, we can do
better.
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