Medicaid, Medicare. They sound a lot alike, but they’re actually two very different programs. And knowing the difference really matters, especially in Utah. Here’s a simple trick to keep them straight think care for Medicare and aid for Medicaid. Medicare is a federally funded program that cares for seniors and people with certain disabilities by providing health insurance. It’s run by the federal government. Medicaid, on the other hand, is a joint state and federal program. It provides aid for low income children and adults, pregnant women, and people with special medical needs.
Here’s something that might surprise you. In twenty twenty four, Medicaid covered one in every thirteen Utah adults, ages nineteen to sixty four. As of twenty twenty five, about seventy percent of those adults are working at least part time, and over a third are working full time. That’s higher than the national average.
Now let’s zoom out a bit. Across the country, Medicaid enrollment varies quite a bit, but Utah still stands out. Only about eleven percent of our population is enrolled. That’s the lowest rate in the country. In Utah, about two thirds of the funding for this aid comes from the federal government, the rest from the state, and the program is administered at the state level.
Here’s how it breaks down in dollars. Utah spent nearly three billion dollars on Medicaid in fiscal year twenty eighteen. Medicaid expansion went into effect in January twenty twenty, providing aid to adults earning up to one hundred and thirty eight percent of the federal poverty level. Since then, Medicaid costs have gone up. More than five billion dollars was spent on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or Chip, in fiscal year twenty twenty four. Of that amount, the federal government covered nearly seventy percent, or just over three and a half billion dollars, while the remaining funds came from various state and local governments and health organizations. In fiscal year twenty twenty six, the federal government contribution to Utah is nearly ten percent less, at just over sixty two percent.
Nearly three hundred and forty thousand Utahns rely on Medicaid today. This number includes kids under nineteen, pregnant women, people with disabilities, seniors including nursing home residents, and some adults both with and without kids who meet income requirements. In fact, children make up seventy one percent of all people on Medicaid. That’s one in every six kids in Utah. Only about one third of Medicaid funds go to hospitals. The rest pays for things like professional services, pharmacy and administration.
Medicaid supports patients, providers, and hospitals across Utah. Knowing how it’s structured and who it serves is central to shaping responsible and informed health policy.