About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

5 Colum. J.L. & Soc. Probs. 62 (1969)
Medicaid: The Patchwork Crazy Quilt

handle is hein.journals/collsp5 and id is 68 raw text is: Medicaid: The Patchwork Crazy Quilt
The original federal Medicaid program was enacted in 1965. The
program was designed to expand existing welfare coverage by pro-
viding federal matching funds to the states to help individuals
whose income and resources are insufficient to meet the costs of.
medical services. 1
In the four years since its inception, Medicaid has suffered ex-
tremely severe growing pains. Expenditures required to finance the
plan were surprisingly high. The classes of persons covered and the
types of services provided have varied substantially from state to
state. Too many doctors and hospitals have been unwilling to partic-
ipate in the program. Congressional amendments in 1967 have merely
compounded many pre-existing problems.
The time is ripe for a critical and soul-searching look at federal
and state Medicaid programs. This article examines the preceding
four years of experience under Medicaid, and attempts to demonstrate
the immediate and pressing need for a basic restructuring of the
present Medicaid program.
I. TITLE XIX: THE FEDERAL MEDICAID PROGRAM
A. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The agitation over half a century for universal health insurance
finally resulted in the Kerr-Mills Act of 1960.2 Under Kerr-Mills
federal funds were made available to the states to provide medical
care for persons 65 years of age and older who had insufficient means
to pay medical bills. However, many states did not participate in the
Kerr-Mills program, while most of the states that did participate
had only limited programs.3
Amid growing clamor that all aged persons be included in the pro-
gram, Congress, in response to the shortcomings of Kerr-Mills,4 en-
acted the Social Security Amendments of 1965.5 One section of these
amendments established the federal Medicare program to enable those
age 65 and older to receive quality medical care. Since Medicare is
1. Social Security Amendments of 1965, 42 U.S.C. § 1396 (Supp. I, 1966).
2. Social Security Amendments of 1960, 42 U.S.C. §§ 301-04, 306, 1308
(1964).
3. Comment, Furor Over Medicaid, 3 COLUM. J.L. & Soc. PROB. 158, 161
(1967). See also note 23 infra.
4. Id. at 160-63.
5. Social Security Amendments of 1965, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1395-96 (Supp. I,
1967).
6. Social Security Amendments of 1965, 42 U.S.C. § 1395 (Supp. I, 1967).
Expanded protection is available under Medicare for persons willing to pay a
monthly premium of $3.00. See Furor Over Medicaid, supra note 3, at 161.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most