Commonwealth Fund July 20, 2021
Toplines
Closing the Medicaid coverage gap would advance the cause of health equity, but would creating a new federal pathway to coverage lead some states to end their Medicaid expansions? No, argues Sara Rosenbaum.
States that expanded Medicaid have realized enormous health and economic benefits, making it unlikely they would rescind their expansions if a federal alternative is created
Recently there have been increasing calls from leading members of Congress and civil rights and advocacy organizations to close the “coverage gap.” This refers to an estimated 2.2 million people — disproportionately Black or American Indian — who live in states that have not yet expanded Medicaid and have incomes that are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low...