Texas, Medicaid and the Coverage Gap
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Title: Texas, Medicaid and the Coverage Gap Purpose: Medicaid provides medical coverage to millions of Americans, and makes up a large part of the Texas state budget. Many medical students do not know what exactly Medicaid provides, who can register for it, and where indigent patients can go to register. Our presentation helps define the what, how, and who of Medicaid insurance Methods: We searched local, state, and federal government resources for Medicaid signup and what services are offered to whom. To improve relevance, we also searched popular and public websites for the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Results: There are a number of ways to sign up in the Tarrant county area, both directly and through connecting organizations. The ACA has affected Medicaid coverage in other areas more than Texas, but the number of uninsured has nonetheless declined. We found that the main population of Medicaid beneficiaries comprises children in impoverished families. Conclusions: Medicaid is a large part of many doctors’ practices, and there is little reason to believe this will change in the near future. We hope that resources listed here will encourage students and physicians to help connect their uninsured patients with coverage, and will enlighten students of the role government insurance plays in the modern medical environment.