Medicaid is Effective

Medicaid provides health coverage that helps low-income seniors, children, and people with disabilities get needed health care. It gives parents and other adults economic security through health coverage that protects them from medical debt and allows them to stay healthy and engaged in their community.

Medicaid improves health

• Research shows that Medicaid beneficiaries have far better access to care than the uninsured and are far less likely to postpone or go without needed care due to cost.

• Medicaid coverage of low-income pregnant women and children has contributed to dramatic declines in infant and child mortality in the U.S.

• Research also shows that state Medicaid expansions to adults are associated with increased access to care, improved self-reported health, and reduced mortality among adults.

Medicaid provides vital support

• 11,497 of Alaska's seniors get health care through Medicaid, including nursing home care and services that help them live at home. That's 14% of Alaska's senior population.

• Medicaid provides 17,540 people with disabilities in Alaska access to critical care that helps them live independently.

• Medicaid covers people who are struggling with opioid addiction and enhances state capacity to provide access to early interventions and treatment services. Medicaid covers 4 in 10 non-elderly adults with opioid addiction.

The Federal Government Pays the Lion's Share of the Cost of Medicaid Expansion

• September 2015 through 2016 federal funds paid 100% of the cost of expansion.

• The state began paying 5% of the cost in 2017, and 6% in 2018.

• That’s scheduled to increase to 10% by 2020 and stay at that level going forward.

• $1 billion in federal funding has flowed into Alaska since September 2015 as a result of Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid expansion works

• Only 35% of private-sector employers in Alaska offer health benefits to their employees. Many workers who don’t get coverage through their jobs rely on Medicaid coverage for themselves and their families.

• State studies have documented significant job growth and retention resulting from Medicaid expansion.

medicaid expansion budget effects

• National, multi-state, and single state studies show that states expanding Medicaid have realized budget savings, revenue gains, and overall economic growth.

• Medicaid expansion can result in state savings by offsetting state costs in other areas, including state costs related to behavioral health services, crime and the criminal justice system.

The Value of Medicaid in Alaska

Medicaid Work Requirements