3. How many people does Medicaid cover?
According to data from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, from Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012, 1.1 million people were enrolled in Medicaid in Virginia. Among them were:
- 604,442 children.
- 195,681 parents or caregivers of children and pregnant women.
- 79,613 people aged 65 and older.
- 216,734 individuals with a disability.
Nationally, 26.4 percent of the population — or 80.5 million people — were covered by Medicaid in 2011, according to a Forbes.com story from 2012 based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
In the Rockbridge area, the percentage of the population enrolled in Medicaid is higher than the statewide percentage, but less than the national percentage. According to the Rockbridge Area Community Health Needs Assessment, a survey spearheaded by the Rockbridge Area Health Center in 2012, 13.8 percent of Lexington’s population was covered by Medicaid. In Buena Vista, 12.4 percent of the population received Medicaid benefits, and in Rockbridge County, 13.1 percent of the population did, according to the document.
4. Who pays for Medicaid?
Medicaid is paid for in part by states and in part by the federal government.
According to data from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, some people covered by Medicaid must make a co-payment for some medical services they receive. For example, people 21 or older must pay $1 for a physician office visit, $3 for a brand name prescription and $100 for an inpatient hospital admission.
Medicaid does not cover all types of medical services. For example, it doesn’t cover the cost of dental check-ups for people 21 and older.
5. What does the future hold for Medicaid?
Good question. A big change for the Virginia Medicaid program might come in the next year, as a result of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known popularly as “Obamacare.” Nearly one in five Virginians could be eligible for Medicaid if the state chooses to change its program eligibility guidelines to the specifications laid out in the Affordable Care Act, according to the community health needs assessment. That change would mean some people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid now would be covered under the new guidelines. The federal government would pick up 100 percent of the tab for that expansion for the first three years, beginning in 2014. After that, the federal government’s share would gradually drop to 90 percent of the cost by the year 2020, according to Medicaid.gov.