COMMENTARY

By Senior Citizens League

At a hearing before the U.S. Senate nomination committee, Robert Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, seemed confused about Medicaid and how it is funded. When asked how he would reform Medicaid, he had no answer.

This comes on top of the news that top Republicans in the House of Representatives are passing around a 50-page list of ideas on how to cover the cost of an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which will allow corporations to pay lower taxes, among other things. The list includes cuts to Medicaid and new tariffs on all imports to pay for those cuts.

So, what is Medicaid, and how many seniors rely on it for their healthcare? 

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage to over 72 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Medicaid is the single largest source of health coverage in the United States.

Millions of older Americans rely on Medicaid coverage. Approximately 7.2 million over age 65 are enrolled in Medicaid, and more than 11 million aged 50 to 64 have health coverage through Medicaid.

Nearly 6 million older adults live below the federal poverty level. Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of seniors and older Americans on fixed incomes. 

Medicaid funds nearly half of long-term care nationwide. As seniors age, long-term care becomes more essential, serving about 70 percent  who will need some form of long-term care in their lives.

Medicaid pays for about 62 percent of long-term care residents in nursing homes. It  covers nursing-home bills for over 60 percent of residents. In 2019, this totaled over $50 billion. The median private nursing-home room cost over $100,000 yearly in 2024.

Approximately 12 million seniors who Medicare covers also have Medicaid coverage. Nearly 8 million dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries are “full benefit” Medicaid enrollees with access to a range of Medicaid benefits not otherwise covered by Medicare, such as transportation to medical appointments and medical equipment.

Older adults depend on Medicaid for affordable, comprehensive care. Older Americans often have more complex health issues, requiring additional medical attention that is costly and would be out of reach if not for Medicaid. Nearly half of dual enrollees are seniors of color, and over half of dual enrollees suffer from long-term disabilities.

We will be watching this issue closely because Medicaid clearly affects millions of seniors.

The Senior Citizens League (seniorleague.org) is a national, non-profit advocate for seniors’ benefits,