Having basic health coverage does certainly help increase the well-being of an individual, and for many Americans, Medicaid does help and provides the basic services needed. Medicaid is still the largest payer for mental health and addiction treatment services in the United States. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act makes it easier for Americans to get the care they need for drug addiction, per the Medicaid website. This piece of legislation requires coverage to be no more restrictive than coverage for medical or surgical conditions. For example, this requirement applies to co-pays, out of pocket maximums, and coinsurance. It also applies to limitations on services or limits on the number of inpatient days or outpatient visits. The use of care management tools and criteria for medical necessity determinations also applies to this requirement.
Drug Use Statistics
Substance abuse does impact many Americans who are enrolled in the Medicaid program. Per the Medicaid website, roughly 12% of Medicaid beneficiaries over 18 years of age have a substance abuse problem. Their site also states that around 6700 people seek treatment every day in the emergency department of hospitals because of drug abuse. In 2010, Medicaid reported drug overdose as the leading cause of death for people between 25 and 64 years old. Medical also provides coverage to 27 million children under the age of 18 within the country.
Per the information provided by Medicaid, the drug use among youth ages 12 to 17 is 25% higher than those 18 years and older. Children who are exposed to trauma such as maltreatment are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Many of the adolescent drug treatment programs in the United States will accept Medicaid. When you start to search for drug treatment centers, it is important to find the right one. According to the Center for Disease Control, 25.5% of Americans had public health insurance in 2018. These are Americans who are 65 years old and younger covered by programs like Medicaid.
This same report indicated that 41.8% of children under the age of 18 had public health insurance. Along with this, adults between 18 and 64 accounted for 19.4% of people who had public health insurance such as Medicaid. Public health insurance is used by millions of Americans and is accepted at many drug and alcohol treatment services.
Many people and families in the United States do not have the extra income to pay for health care. Medicaid is set up for low-income families with little to no resources available to them. Medicaid is available to people of all ages who fit the criteria and are eligible for coverage. The program is funded by the state and the federal government and currently, all of the states within the US participate in the program. Each state does not have to follow the eligibility criteria, specifically as to what is laid out. Each person applying must be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident, and this also applies to low-income adults, their children, and persons with disabilities. Having a low income is not the only requirement needed for eligibility and coverage.
Medicaid Insurance in the Different USA States
Each state has category-defined statutes; for example, there are low-income seniors, parents enrolled in Medicaid of low-income children, pregnant women, and low-income children of a particular age. Persons with disabilities fall into certain categories as well, if they receive supplemental security income and have no work history they are enrolled in Medicaid to ensure they have health coverage. A person must prove they have a disability, such as blindness, deafness, mental illness, or a physical disability that prevents them from working.
Each state is not required to participate in Medicaid, although every state currently does and complies with federal Medicaid laws. Each state sets standards of eligibility, how much is paid into it, the types of services covered, and all of these changes from state to state as each state administers its own program. In the year 2002, there were close to 40 million Americans enrolled in the program, with the majority of them being children. By the year 2009, there were close to 63 million Americans enrolled in Medicaid and receiving different services and coverage.
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