Question

1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of having a health program that varies by state versus having one that is uniform across the country? Do you find that the positives of state flexibility outweigh the negative or vice versa? Is it fair that similarly situated individuals may be treated differently in different states? Does this occur in other aspects of society?

2. Does Medicaid's medically needy category make sense to you? Why or why not? For example, is it a good idea to discount medical expenses so high-need individuals can access healthcare through Medicaid? See Box 10-5 on page 204 and address these questions to provide a thorough answer.

Does the medically needy category make sense to you? Do you think it is a good idea to discount medical expenses of high-need individuals so they can access the healthcare services they need through Medicaid? If so, is the process described above cumbersome and likely to result in people being on and off Medicaid (and therefore likely on and off treatment) because their eli- gibility is based on their spending patterns? Why should individuals with high medical needs have an avenue to Medicaid eligibility that is not available to other low- income people who have other high expenses, such as child care or transportation costs? Would it make more sense to simply raise the eligibility level for Medicaid so more low-income people are eligible for the program? Politically, which option would likely have more support? Does your view about the medically needy category vary depending on your primary decision-making goal (fiscal restraint, equity, improved health outcomes, etc.)? Immigrants

Answer 1

1. Benefits:

-Both programs take health services to rural and urban areas.

-The issues of people across the country will be confronted.

-Individuals from all class could access their facilities across the state.

Drawbacks:

-Rules and regulations across the state and country.

-Due to the accessibility to all class the health care service could decrease (wait lines, service derived fast).

I believe that positive of state flexibility outweigh the negative because, I think that the greater development is in states for health care the country will improve or add more programs. I don't think is fair that similarly situated individuals may be treated differently in different states. I think that every single individual should be treated the same.

2. According to The Medicaid Medically Needy Program, Medically Needy is a Medicaid program that can help pay for Medicaid services (2013). Individuals enrolled in the Medically Needy Program have income or assets that exceed the limits for regular Medicaid (The Medicaid Medically Needy Program, 2013). A certain number of medical bills must be incurred each month before Medicaid is approved (The Medicaid Medically Needy Program, 2013). Medicaid makes pregnant women, children, individuals with disability, elderly population, and individuals with low income eligible. Medicaid medically needy category makes sense to me because, not every person can have access to medication.