As the nation’s public health insurance program for low-income children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, Medicaid covers 1 in 5 Americans. Enrollees have access to screening and preventive care, which translates into well-child care and earlier detection of health and developmental problems in children, earlier diagnosis of cancer. Researchers have determined that states that expanded Medicaid experienced a 6.4 percent increase in early detection of cancer from pre-expansion levels.

LLS believes firmly that all patients and consumers should have access to high quality, stable coverage to ensure that they are able to receive appropriate and timely care. Medicaid serves a vital role in making sure that no one is left without access to such coverage. As such, LLS firmly opposes proposals that would erect barriers to meaningful coverage for low-income, vulnerable populations, such as:

• Work requirements
• Premium and cost-sharing requirements
• Disenrollment and lock-out periods for failure to pay cost sharing
• Elimination of retroactive eligibility
• Citizenship and residency documentation
• Consideration of assets in eligibility determination