Nov, 01, 2022

Medicaid as a Driver of Health Equity

From its humble beginnings in 1965 as a supplement to Medicare designed to provide health insurance for individuals living in poverty, Medicaid has evolved to become a primary strategy to expand coverage and a critical part of the national social safety net. In recent years, with the expansion enabled by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the maintenance of coverage required by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Medicaid has significantly eclipsed Medicare in the number of individuals covered and arguably rivals it in importance. California has developed an ambitious agenda to fully realize the potential of Medicaid as a driver of health equity.