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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Is federal health care funding distributed disproportionately among the states?

By Eric Smith
NO

States that have opted not to offer low-income residents more access to health care coverage receive less federal heath care funding, relative to their populations. The Affordable Care Act expanded and funded Medicaid programs for low-income residents, but states may choose to opt out of those provisions. Twelve states continue to decline to participate.

Funding (including subsidies for private insurance under the Act, Medicaid support and other payments) is generally in line with population. Based on data compiled by the Urban Institute, California, with 12.1% of the U.S. population, receives about 12.5% of total funding. New York, with 5.9% of population, receives about 7.1%. Texas, which has opted out of Medicaid, has 9.1% of the nation's population but receives 7.1% of federal funding. South Carolina, with 1.5% of population, receives 1.3% of funding.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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