Medicaid Benefits

Publication Date: August 2000

Publisher: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Author(s):

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This issue paper explains the basics of Medicaid benefits policy at the federal level. After an overview discussion of the need for services on the part of Medicaid beneficiaries and Medicaid spending on benefits, it lays out the federal requirements that apply to states, as well as the federal law options available to them, in establishing a Medicaid benefits package. The paper also includes a comparison of the federal Medicaid benefits package with that of a typical commercial product and with that offered by Medicare.