Medicaid (www.medicaid.com) is a health insurance program provided to eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. Medicaid is funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states. Medicaid was created in 1965 and participation in the program is voluntary by each individual state. Each state manages their own Medicaid program and some states opt to subcontract to private health insurance companies, while others pay providers directly. Medicaid is a needs-based social welfare program, rather than a social insurance program like Medicare. The main criteria to qualify for Medicaid is limited financial resources and limited income. Individuals, who normally qualify, include low-income individuals, children, parents of eligible children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and seniors. Medicaid was founded to provide basic health care to those who have either poor health insurance or no medical insurance at all. However, still only 40% of poor Americans are covered by Medicaid. Funding for Medicaid has become a huge budgetary issue for many states. On average, states are spending almost 17% of their budgets on funding and managing their Medicaid health plans. In addition, this number will only increase as the U.S. population ages and nursing home coverage continues to grow.

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