Nonprofit Cites “10 Best States” and “10 Worst States” in Providing Government Health Insurance Assistance

District of Columbia, New York and Alaska Top List While Georgia, Arizona and California Rank Lowest

SAN JOSE, CA–(EMWNews – July 16, 2008) – Americans who need help from the government in

paying for health care coverage — if they experience unemployment or can’t

afford private insurance — should know that while Medicaid is a national

program that provides this assistance, every state has different service

offerings, eligibility requirements and funding levels.

The Foundation for Health Coverage Education cites data provided by the

Kaiser Family Health Foundation (www.statehealthfacts.org) to identify how

programs differ from state to state. The statehealthfacts.org website

ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia by their expenditures per

Medicaid enrollee. From this listing the FHCE has culled out 10 highest

funded and 10 least funded state programs from the overall listing.

“With one in five Americans on Medicaid at any one time, it’s important to

understand that the state you live in will have a big impact on if, and

when, health care coverage will be there for you when you need it,” said

Phil Lebherz, founder and executive director.

The website listing identifies Medicaid’s uneven funding levels. “How well

a state funds its own programs and how much matching funding it receives

from the federal government determine the number of physicians willing to

treat Medicaid patients, the ability of hospital emergency rooms to stay

open and the waiting periods Americans must endure when signing up. There’s

a direct link between how a state is funded and the quality of its overall

health care delivery system,” said Lebherz.

The 10 most generous states for funding Medicaid are as follows:

                             Medicaid Payment   Total Federal Medicaid

             State         Per Enrollee FY 2005     Payment FY 2005

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

1.    District of Columbia               $7,941         $1,315,823,700

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

2     New York                           $7,733        $13,114,394,700

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

3.    Alaska                             $7,699           $366,000,923

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

4.    Maine                              $7,691           $927,071,573

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

5.    North Dakota                       $7,496           $224,423,813

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

6.    Rhode Island                       $7,464           $582,870,187

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

7     Connecticut                        $7,212         $1,261,138,400

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

8.    New Jersey                         $7,022         $2,334,346,867

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

9.    Minnesota                          $6,974         $1,743,732,467

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

10.   Massachusetts                      $6,837         $2,761,464,300

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

The 10 least funded states’ Medicaid programs are as follows.

                             Medicaid Payment   Total Federal Medicaid

             State         Per Enrollee FY 2005     Payment FY 2005

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

42    Michigan                           $4,348         $2,785,003,456

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

43.   South Carolina                     $4,260         $1,746,186,161

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

44.   Hawaii                             $4,051           $343,328,040

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

45.   Louisiana                          $3,823         $1,829,997,502

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

46.   Arkansas                           $3,617         $1,136,408,102

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

47.   Texas                              $3,598         $5,426,858,323

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

48.   Oklahoma                           $3,571         $1,053,669,315

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

49.   Georgia                            $3,560         $2,445,901,772

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

50.   Arizona                            $3,066         $1,792,240,233

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

51.   California                         $2,701         $9,525,706,733

      -------------------- -------------------- ----------------------

“What’s surprising is that states like California, as an example, with the

highest cost of living, actually spend and receive the least funding from

the federal government for Medicaid at $2,701 total funding per enrollee

per year,” said Lebherz. “Meanwhile, states where the cost of living is

much lower, such as Maine and North Dakota, provide two and a half times

that amount, at $7,691 and $7,496 respectively per enrollee,” said Lebherz.

“When Medicaid falls short of paying health care providers what they need

in order to keep their doors open, providers have to charge private

patients more and this impacts everyone in that state.”

Lebherz and FHCE had uncovered these financial discrepancies after the

nonprofit embarked on a public service campaign to get uninsured Americans

who qualify for government benefits signed up. An earlier analysis from

the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association of Census Bureau statistics

disclosed that nearly one-third of the 47 million uninsured in the U.S. are

qualified for public programs but not signed up.

For the past four years, as part of its national “Coverage For All”

campaign, the nonprofit organization has been providing educational tools

and showing anyone in five simple steps whether they qualify for

government-sponsored health coverage. The organization provides a free

nationwide uninsured help line (1-800-234-1317) with live, one-on-one

assistance 24/7. It has also created 50 unique state versions of its

Health Care Options Matrix which outlines the public coverage option in

each state.

The Foundation for Health Coverage Education is a non-profit 501 (c) 3

public

organization based in San Jose, California and was founded in response to

the increasing number of uninsured individuals who are eligible for health

coverage but not enrolled. For more information, log on to

www.coverageforall.org or call 1-800-234-1317.

Information about Health Coverage and Uninsured Topics

The Kaiser Family Foundation

statehealthfacts.org.

The data are based on an analysis of the Census Bureau’s March 2006 and

2007 Current Population Surveys (CPS; Annual Social and Economic

Supplements) and are restricted to the civilian (not active duty military)

population. The state data represent 2-year averages. For a complete

listing of Medicaid funding by state, go to

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=183&cat=4&sub=47&yr=28&typ=4&sort=218&o=d.