Welcome to "The 80 Million"

Transforming Medicaid Together

October 31, 2024

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Welcome to "The 80 Million" where our aim is to challenge the status quo and delve into a forthright exploration of the most important issues in Medicaid – what works, what doesn’t, and how to make it better. 

Over six decades, Medicaid has undergone significant transformation, evolving into a comprehensive health insurance program covering a broad swath of the U.S. population. Today, Medicaid covers health services – from prenatal to end of life care – for over 80 million Americans. Who are “The 80 Million?”  

  • Babies. Half of all babies born in the U.S. each year. 

  • Children. Two in five children in the country and half of all kids with special health care needs; eight in ten children who are living in poverty. 

  • Workers. Seven in ten Medicaid enrollees under 65 are in families with at least one full or part-time worker. 

  • Frail Elderly. Five in eight people residing in nursing homes. 

  • People with Disabilities. Forty-three percent of adults under age 65 with disabilities who are not in an institutional setting. 

  • Medicare Beneficiaries. One in five Medicare beneficiaries rely on Medicaid for premium help and services that Medicare doesn’t cover. 

  • People with Special Health Care Needs. Twenty-three percent of people with a mental health diagnosis and forty percent of people with HIV. 

  • If not you, likely someone you love. One in five of us have coverage under Medicaid at any given time, and six in ten report that they, a family member or close friend have had Medicaid coverage at some point.1 

 While polling shows that most people across party lines have a favorable view of Medicaid,2 at times it can seem like the health coverage program people love to hate. Here is a typical narrative about “what’s wrong with Medicaid”: 

Don’t get us wrong. There is some truth to each of these complaints. But it’s not the whole truth, and too often leads to finger pointing about who is to blame (including everyone from program enrollees to government to managed care plans) rather than nuanced exploration of solutions. We’re here to dig into the nuance, bringing together experts from the Manatt Health team and perspectives from the key players and thought leaders in Medicaid to get real and to focus on solutions.  It’s our mission (and our passion) to harness our collective creativity and knowledge to strengthen Medicaid. We hope it is yours, too. 

So, welcome to "The 80 Million." We’re here to push the envelope, spark conversation, and drive change. We want you to be part of this journey. Subscribe, engage, and let’s transform Medicaid together.