It’s National Women’s Health Week – a time to discuss and reflect on the current health status and needs of women in the United States.
In many ways, this year is shaping up to be like previous years, with one critical difference that may surprise you. Medicaid reform. The conversation about Medicaid among policymakers is at a fever pitch and the future of the program will have a significant impact on women’s health. Consider this:
- 17% of women in the United States are covered by Medicaid with the rate of uninsured women dropping from 17% to 11% from 2013 to 2015.
- Nearly half of all births in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid , and greater than 50% of births are paid for with Medicaid in 24 states.
- Medicaid covers 51% of all long-term care spending, a critical service for many frail elderly women.
- Medicaid is working for women — in the United States, women on Medicaid are nearly as likely to have a regular health care provider as women on private insurance (87% compared to 91%) and low-income women in Medicaid expansion states are 25% more likely to get breast examinations.
As the modern Medicaid program plays an increasingly important role in the lives of millions of women in the United States, it is doing so through employing vital, innovative programs that seek to deliver quality care in cost-effective ways.
That’s why this year, as we celebrate women’s health during National Women’s Health Week, we are also celebrating the program that’s providing such tremendous value in the lives of nearly one in five women in our own communities and families. This National Women’s Health Week, we encourage you to get involved in the Modern Medicaid Alliance by clicking here: https://modernmedicaid.org/get-involved/
Join us as we seek to help policymakers understand the true value of today’s Medicaid program.