Skip to main content
 
  • Click to open or close the program search boxShow Me Programs
    • Show me the programs that are
      performing Go
    • Show me the programs that are
      not performing Go
ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

View Assessment Details

Medicaid

Medicaid is a means-tested, Federal-State funded entitlement program that provides medical assistance, including acute and long-term care, to families with dependent children as well as aged, blind, or disabled individuals. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides Federal oversight of this program.

Rating

What This Rating Means

PERFORMING
Adequate

This rating describes a program that needs to set more ambitious goals, achieve better results, improve accountability or strengthen its management practices.
  • Medicaid provides health insurance to millions of targeted individuals. In 2007, the number of Medicaid enrollees was 49.1 million. Nearly one in every four children in America relies on Medicaid for health coverage. Two-thirds of all Medicaid enrollees are in low-wage working families. Medicaid also pays for six out of every ten beds in nursing homes.
  • New performance measures assess program effectiveness. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created new performance measures that assess health quality and focus on improving program management. More work needs to be done; CMS is working on a national strategy to improve the quality of care across State Medicaid programs and is developing a national payment error rate for Medicaid.
  • Medicaid is an open-ended Federal-State partnership and opportunities exist for States to draw down Federal matching funds inappropriately. The Federal government matches all allowable State dollars spent on Medicaid, regardless of the amount or quality of service. This funding structure leaves Medicaid vulnerable, and has enabled States to shift costs to Medicaid that may not be appropriate.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Working with the States to measure, track, and improve quality of care in Medicaid and moving toward a national framework for Medicaid quality.
  • Reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicaid program, and improving overall program integrity.
  • Working with States to establish baseline data for the newly developed Medicaid performance measures.

Learn More
The content on ExpectMore.gov is developed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and Federal agencies.