Medicaid (Medi-Cal) Fact and Fallacy

Health Care is one of the Obama Administration’s pet projects, and ever since President Obama took office there has been a lot of media attention and speculation about the national health care system and what changes (for good or ill) may be in store. Of course, the backbone of our national health care program is Medicaid (It’s called Medi-Cal in California)—funded by the state and federal governments, and managed by the states, Medicaid is “the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources.”

Of course we’ve all heard about Medicaid, and most people know the very basics of what Medicaid is and what it does; but when questioned further, how many people actually know the difference between fact and fallacy? Do you know which services Medicaid will pay for? Or if Medicaid covers parents and their children? These questions and more are answered in this article from Kaiser Health News—Medicaid: True Or False? The article gives the opportunity to test your assumptions about Medicaid and improve your factual knowledge at the same time.

As the Baby-Boomer population ages, nursing home and elderly care is becoming the fastest-growing aspect of Medicaid. This means that we’re all likely to have to have dealings with Medicaid—either for ourselves or for someone we love—at some point in the future. Shouldn’t you know as much as you can about the program before that time comes?