Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act)

Medicaid

Enacted in 1965, Title XIX (19) of the Social Security Act established regulations for the Medicaid program, which provides funding for medical and health-related services for persons with limited income; mainly covering pregnant women, adults with dependents, people with disabilities and the elderly.  Title XIX contains a number of provisions governing the acquisition, use and disclosure of Medicaid enrollees’ health information. Medicaid is a federal-state program, meaning programs vary from state to state, but all must comply with federal guidelines provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  

Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act

After the passage of the ACA, states had the option to expand Medicaid to include all low-income adults at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Line. As of June 2018, 33 states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid.

Note: this is not a complete overview of Medicaid. The PDF below outlines the parts of the law relevant to health information.