Commonwealth Fund’s Biennial Health Insurance Survey Finds People with Medicaid Have Better Access to Health Care Than the Uninsured and Fewer Medical Bill Problems
Having Medicaid is not only substantially better than being uninsured, but it provides enrollees with health insurance that on most measures is as good as or, in some cases, better than private coverage, according to new a Commonwealth Fund report. Medicaid is currently the nation’s largest health insurer, covering more than 70 million people, about 12 million of whom enrolled when 31 states and the District of Columbia expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The report finds that the large majority of people who have Medicaid for the full year are able to get the health care they need. Based on survey results, 91 percent have a regular source of care, compared to 93 percent of privately insured people with continuous coverage and 77 percent of people uninsured for at least part of the year. Medicaid enrollees are also happy with their care—57 percent rated it as very good or excellent, compared with 52 percent of the privately insured and 40 percent of the uninsured...