Incidence of acute otitis media in children in the United States before and after the introduction of 7- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines during 1998–2018

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that, along with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), provides health and long-term coverage to low-income people in the United States. While eligibility rules vary by state, Medicaid typically covers children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities, and eligible low-income adults. Medicaid is managed by each state and funded jointly by the federal and state governments. Many Medicaid enrollees receive care through private managed care plans contracted by the Medicaid program in their state. Because Medicaid programs in general pay lower rates than private health insurance plans, some providers (including hospitals) choose not to accept Medicaid patients or to accept only a limited number of such patients. However, in general the same providers can be accessible to both Medicaid and privately insured patients. Moreover, as a person’s income may change, they may lose (and subsequently regain) Medicaid eligibility, known as “churning.” Medicaid also tends to have a disproportionately larger share of black and Hispanic people compared to private plans.