Medicaid

Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by state governments, which also have wide latitude in determining eligibility and benefits, but the federal government sets baseline standards for state Medicaid programs and provides a significant portion of their funding. States are not required to participate in the program, although all have since 1982.

Medicaid was established in 1965, part of the Great Society set of programs during President Lyndon B. Johnson's Administration, and was significantly expanded by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was passed in 2010. In most states, any member of a household with income up to 138% of the federal poverty line qualifies for Medicaid coverage under the provisions of the ACA. A 2012 Supreme Court decision established that states may continue to use pre-ACA Medicaid eligibility standards and receive previously established levels of federal Medicaid funding, which led some Republican-controlled states to not expand Medicaid coverage. The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act established requirements for most able-bodied adult Medicaid enrollees to work or volunteer for 80 hours per month in order to maintain coverage; these provisions will become effective in 2027.