Medicaid is a program in the U.S. that is meant to assist the eligible members of the society in obtaining medical care. According to the welfare program, states that provide financial aid to low income earners receive money from the government.
Medicaid services are only offered to the needy members as states have established methods of determining genuine applicants who meet the requirements for the aid to prevent deception from citizens who can afford their medical care. Families which require high child support income are also entitled to the Medicaid.
The effectiveness of the program has been achieved partly because payments are done directly to the health care providers and not the patients themselves. This move has ensured that they all receive medical care by preventing use of those funds meant for health care on other expenditures.
The program has been prioritizing families with dependent children. Dependent children include those whose parents have died or are in no condition to provide for their children mainly as a result of physically or mentally disability. Abandoned children are also entitled to these services (Holmes, 2010, p. 1).
The program has paid for the care of more than half of children as well as other persons who are living with AIDS in the United States. Medicaid has benefited many poor children and their mothers with the children representing more than half of the recipients of these services. The Medicaid program has also supported spending of the elderly.
The services offered by this program are of high quality and they have enabled the service users to live a healthy and quality life. Efficiency is also achieved as the system manages payments of the services appropriate to the recipient. It is also providing awareness of the need to provide these services to private sources of financial support as it is forming partnerships with the private sector to increase personal accountability.
The system has coordinated health information technology in order to provide transparent and effective services to its users as well as to the health practitioners. The provision of accessible information by this system has promoted its efficiency by providing awareness of its existence to those who need medical assistance. However, this program does not apply to refugees most of whom are in more need for these services than many of the American citizens who receive medical assistance (Hickman, 2010, p. 1).
Surprisingly, the society is not willing to keep the program with many people claiming that it is not their responsibility to take care of others. The tax payers are complaining that all individuals should provide for themselves and that they should not be forced to contribute to other people’s well being.
As the number of poor citizens covered by Medicare increases, medical providers are increasingly being enrolled and so does the tax rates. Many people think that the program should be abolished arguing that people who are incapable of affording children upkeep should not give birth since they are just giving others burdens. Others think that the program should be privatized so that only those who can afford will contribute.
With the increasing financial problems in the world, many mothers may intentionally abandon their children because they know they will be taken care of. This has increased the number of needy members of the society and as the public is complaining due to high taxation, this program might be abolished or its services restricted to only very few needy children in the future.
Reference List
Hickman, M. (2010). The Cost Benefits of Medicaid. Web.
Holmes, R. (2010). Types of Social Welfare Programs. Web.