COVID-19 Webinar Series Overview
This COVID-19 Webinar Series synthesizes the information in the headlines to provide cohesive insight into the status of the response and remaining gaps in the system that must be addressed to limit the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.
Session 17 – The Role of Medicaid
The role of Medicaid has been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers have used the program to help people access COVID-19 tests and increased Medicaid funding to states to support their response to the pandemic. Regulators have also rolled out guidance to support access to care for patients in light of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures, including expanding the use of telemedicine. The economic effects of COVID-19, which has left millions of people in the United States unemployed and shuttered many businesses, will put additional pressure on state Medicaid programs. This webinar explained the role of Medicaid in the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists discussed financing challenges of the Medicaid program—the nation’s health care safety net—as more people become eligible for Medicaid coverage and demand for health services shifts.
Panelists
- Tom Betlach, MPA, Partner, Speire Healthcare Strategies
- Karen Dale, R.N., MSN, Market President, AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia
- Beth Feldpush, DrPH, Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, America’s Essential Hospitals
- Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy & Founding Chair of the Department of Health Policy, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
- Rachel Nuzum, MPH, Vice President, Federal and State Health Policy, The Commonwealth Fund (moderator)
The Alliance for Health Policy gratefully acknowledges the support of the National Institute of Health Care Management (NIHCM) and The Commonwealth Fund for this event.
