Equity of the Medicaid Program to the Poor Versus Taxpayers

The last 15 years have witnessed explosive growth in State Medicaid programs. This article demonstrates the equalizing impacts of greater spending and recent Federal mandates on the health care coverage of the poor. Large inequalities in generosity still remain, however. Inequalities in taxpayer burdens are also documented, and simulations of alternative Federal sharing algorithms show significant changes that would be required to achieve a more equitable distribution of the program's financial burden.