Medicaid and Expanded Medicaid: Two of Their Weaknesses

Having Medicaid is better than not having any type of medical insurance or money to pay for medical expenses for a lot of people who can't afford insurance. But two weaknesses of Medicaid are: (1) many (most?) health care providers dislike treating Medicaid patients at the present payrates; (2) Medicaid seems to be ineffective at getting its recipients to properly care for their health.

First, many of the best medical professionals refuse to treat Medicaid patients. In addition, some medical professionals who do treat Medicaid patients dislike the relatively low payment that they receive for it. Also, some who treat Medicaid patients engage in fraudulent practices to make it more profitable. You can find numerous news reports online discussing the problems mentioned in this paragraph, if you so desire.

Second, a study published in November 2015 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (discussed on the webpage http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p1112-smoking-rates.html) noted that Medicaid recipients are more than twice as likely to smoke as persons with private health insurance. Medicaid recipients are also more likely to be obese and consume more junk food according to other information (http://www.naturalnews.com/049727_obesity_SNAP_food_stamps.html#).

Further studies might indicate that they are more likely to engage in some other risky behaviors. Medicaid patients relatively low incomes correlate with poorer health, too, in all likelihood. It would be great if more is done to help low-income persons live healthier. 

Attaining and Maintaining Good Health
In my opinion, emphasizing better preventive care to lead persons to live healthier lives could do much more good than expanding Medicaid has. Whether or not one is blessed with excellent health is more important than whether or not one has health insurance coverage through Medicaid or a private insurance company. Attaining better health may come through:

• Eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, and nuts.
• exercising regularly.
• avoiding too much stress.
• getting adequate rest.
• enjoying great friends and relatives for a support group.
• and faith in and a willingness to seek to obey the highest righteous authority, which I call God. Seek to "be good and do good" as English translations of words credited to Buddha put it.

Concluding Thoughts
Turtles who lack any medical insurance and move slowly seem to fare better than many humans as far as health and life expectancy are concerned.

We people in the United States spend an enormous amount on a per capita basis on healthcare, yet we are not as healthy as a lot of persons in many other countries. I support a single-payer healthcare system for basic healthcare. But regardless of the type of health insurance available, better preventive care is the key to better health, as I see it.

Though I am confident Medicaid does some good for many, it seems to be failing to do what it is supposed to for both health care providers and Medicaid recipients. Medicaid coverage may do little good if one has trouble finding a quality doctor who accepts new Medicaid patients or the patient fails to listen to his or her doctor's instructions regarding his or her lifestyle (smoking, eating junk food, etc.)?

NOTE: This article was last modified on February 23, 2016.