Medicaid

Medicaid is the largest public health insurance program in the United States. In 2007, approximately 61.9 million people were covered under the program at some point during the year. Medicaid accounted for 21% of total state spending in fiscal year 2009.

Today, high unemployment rates have increased demand for Medicaid services and contributed to budget shortfalls (due to lower tax revenue), prompting many states to consider substantial spending cuts to the program. It is more important than ever for advocates to be aware of potential threats to Medicaid programs, and to effectively educate state and federal lawmakers about the importance of protecting health care for the most vulnerable populations.

TAEP and the Health Law and Policy Clinic of Harvard Law School have prepared a Medicaid Toolkit  and the Medicaid Toolkit Training Slides for advocates. These in-depth resources review the structure of the Medicaid program, common state tactics to cut Medicaid budgets that can be harmful to enrollees and applicants, and strategies to defend and strengthen Medicaid even in difficult political and economic climates.

In addition, TAEP and our partners in the HIV Health Care Access Working Group (HHCAWG) have produced a collection of materials for grassroots advocates around the importance of Medicaid for the HIV/AIDS community and how to take action to help defend the program. Be sure to check out these helpful tools:

• Fact sheet--Why Medicaid Matters to People Living with HIV/AIDS
• Action sheet--What You Can Do to Get Out the Message That Medicaid Matters to PLWHA
• Slides--A Grassroots Guide to In-District Medicaid Defense Advocacy
• Communications toolkit--A Grassroots Guide to Medicaid Defense Advocacy in the Media

State Medicaid 1115 Waiver Option to Expand HIV Care and Treatment Access:
View the slideshow from the Medicaid 1115 Waiver webinar here.

Download a two-page fact sheet on the impact of 1115 waivers on addressing the access to care crisis among people living with HIV.

Send a letter (adaptable) to HHS Secretary Sebelius and CMS and White House officials urging them to quickly act to make the waiver option a possibility for states. The message is simple: federal support behind 1115 waiver is crucial in addressing the current HIV health care access and public health crisis.

Studies Documenting Cost-effectiveness of Early HIV Intervention (.zip file)