Medicaid Policy & Politics

Medicaid is a government program that pays for the healthcare of low-income Americans. In this course, we discuss how the federal government, individual states, and private systems interact to fund, regulate, and deliver healthcare under this system. We establish a basic history and structure under the law, and give a general overview of funding, trends, similarities and differences between states, and some states' attempts to integrate social determinants of health into healthcare. It ends with a more detailed look at the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System as an example of one state Medicaid program. We start at the most basic level, but build upon it to provide a solid overview of the most important aspects of Medicaid policy. This course should be accessible and relevant to anyone new to Medicaid, regardless of whether you have no prior exposure to policy or are a lawyer or seasoned policy analyst. Our target audience includes: policy advisors, lawyers, advocates, legislators, employees of Medicaid agencies, employees of nonprofits and MCOs, and students.