Medicaid in the
United States is a social health care program for families and individuals with low income and limited resources. The Health Insurance Association of America describes Medicaid as a "government insurance program for persons of all ages whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care". Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States. It is a
means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and managed by the states, with each state currently having broad leeway to determine who is eligible for its implementation of the program. States are not required to participate in the program, although all currently do. Medicaid recipients must be
U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and may include low-income adults, their children, and people with certain
disabilities. Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify someone for Medicaid.