Throughout April, Protect Our Care will release fact sheets and host events nationwide with elected officials, storytellers, and health care advocates to highlight Medicaid’s critical role in America, discuss what needs to be done to expand and strengthen the program, and raise awareness of the consequences of Republican threats.

To mark the start of Medicaid Awareness Month today, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“With more Americans relying on Medicaid coverage than ever before, there has never been a better time to celebrate the importance of the program, highlight what needs to be done to expand and strengthen Medicaid, and combat the threats that still exist. While President Biden and Democrats are working to finish the job of the Affordable Care Act and close the Medicaid coverage gap in the 12 non-expansion states, Republicans are playing politics with their constituents’ health. We must continue holding Republicans accountable for putting politics before people, denying their most vulnerable populations access to Medicaid.”

The month will include the following theme’s each week:

·    Week 1: Medicaid is Working! Week one will focus on how Medicaid has improved the lives of millions even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

·    Week 2: Close the Coverage Gap. Week two will bring attention to the urgent need to close the Medicaid coverage gap.

·    Week 3: Stop the Threat. Week three will focus on how millions of Americans face losing their Medicaid coverage when the COVID-19 public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic ends because Republican officials are failing to protect eligible Medicaid recipients.

·    Week 4: Medicaid & Health Equity. The final week will highlight how Medicaid is our most powerful tool in fighting for health equity.

Medicaid Is More Important Than Ever

Nearly 1 in 4 Americans Receive Health Coverage Through Medicaid

April is Medicaid Awareness Month and the past two years have taught us that Medicaid is more important than ever. Medicaid has been proven to increase access to care, improve financial security, and produce better health outcomes. Today, nearly 79 million Americans receive their coverage through Medicaid, firmly establishing Medicaid as a pillar of the American health care system.

Medicaid expansion is essential to ensure every American has quality, affordable health coverage. Despite the overwhelming benefits of Medicaid expansion, Republicans have spent years undermining the ACA and its expansion of Medicaid at every turn, blocking millions from coverage. Yet the program has become increasingly popular among conservative voters. 75 percent of Americans have a favorable view toward the Medicaid program, and 61 percent of Americans in non-expansion states favor expansion. Every time Medicaid expansion has been placed on the ballot, even in deep red states like Oklahoma and Idaho, voters have approved it. An estimated four million uninsured adults could gain coverage if the 12 remaining holdout states adopted Medicaid expansion.

Research confirms that Medicaid expansion saves lives and drastically reduces racial health disparities. States that expanded their Medicaid programs saw a 51 percent reduction in the gap between uninsured white and Black adults after expansion, and a 45 percent reduction between white and Hispanic adults. Medicaid has also served as a lifeline during the pandemic, with research showing expansion states were better positioned to handle the economic fallout from COVID-19. However you approach it, Medicaid is an essential component of American life and more important than ever. Read more here.