If you have been following the debate about Medicaid cuts, you know it’s a giant program, America’s largest in terms of the number of people it covers. But you may be confused about how many people Medicaid actually covers. Is it 71 million Americans, the number most commonly used in The New York Times and many press reports? Or 83 million Americans, a number Medicaid experts like us and some others frequently use? There are other numbers too, and other ways of thinking about the reach of the program. On the chance that others are confused by the different Medicaid counts, let me clear this up. The 71 million number comes from CMS administrative data (meaning program data reported from the states, not self-reported survey data). It doesn’t include the closely connected CHIP program in the 71 million count. It’s also the most recent data (2025). However, this count excludes people who get Medicaid coverage for some—but not all—Medicaid-covered services, such as for family planning. During the pandemic and the unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision, these data were updated regularly and helpful to track changes during a time of ... Read more...
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