Securing the Safety Net and Protecting Public Health During a Pandemic
Medicaid’s Response to COVID-19
Chethan Bachireddy, MD, MSc1; Christopher Chen, MD, MBA2; Mohammad Dar, MD3
JAMA. Published online March 19, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4272
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exposed gaps in the social safety net in the US. Medicaid, which covers 71 million individuals, has an important responsibility in addressing these gaps. Medicaid programs can fund unexpected health care services that other insurance plans may exclude and are thus well-positioned to ensure that vulnerable patients have access to important health care services, and that hospitals and other health care organizations and clinicians are reimbursed for providing that care.
