The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) Dec. 1 released its first standalone edition of MACStats, which contains the most current data available on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The report includes national trends and state-specific data on enrollment and spending, current eligibility levels across states, and beneficiaries’ health, service use, and access to care. Some highlights from the report include:
In fiscal year (FY) 2014, an estimated 78.6 million people were ever enrolled in Medicaid and 8.3 million were enrolled in CHIP. Total Medicaid spending was $498.3 billion (an 8 percent increase from FY 2013), while total CHIP spending decreased by 1 percent to $13 billion;
In 2013, Medicaid and CHIP accounted for 15.9 percent of national health expenditures and are projected to account for 17 percent of expenditures through 2024;
Individuals eligible on the basis of disability and those over 65 years old account for about one quarter of Medicaid enrollees, but about two-thirds of program spending;
The number of individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP grew by more than 14 million between 2013 and 2015, largely due to changes made by the Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152);
Enrollment in July 2014 was 14.4 percent higher than average monthly enrollment in 2013, while enrollment grew by an additional 7.3% between July 2014 and July 2015; and
Children and adults whose primary coverage source is Medicaid or CHIP report being in poorer health and are more likely to have had trouble finding a doctor or delayed care than those who have private coverage.
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