Medicaid and Public Health: Second Edition
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 5741
Special Issue Editor
Interests: health policy; epidemiology; health services research; oncology; leukemia; myelodysplastic syndromes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In this Special Issue, we present reports on Medicaid. This US-based healthcare program was originally instituted in the 1960s for people with low-paid jobs, mothers, babies, children, alternately abled people struggling to find or keep gainful employment, and seniors with meagre resources. This federal program empowers states to administer healthcare coverage to these disadvantaged populations. Since then, healthcare, health, and society have changed. To keep with the times and control costs, the federal government and states have adapted Medicaid in many ways. This Special Issue is intended to house reports of these adaptations and their outcomes.
A lot of what Medicaid pays for is preventable problems. Heart disease and cancers are preventable by not using tobacco. Vaccinations prevent infections and cancers. Clear communication between people and their healthcare providers prevents emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and re-hospitalizations. In this Special Issue, we will report on innovations in prevention for both short-term improvements in care but also long-term improvements. Evidence from this Special Issue is meant to help state Medicaid programs as they research methods for improving their programs.
A common complaint about Medicaid is its high cost. However, its high cost is a direct consequence of social inequities in the US. The basic needs for a good life, such as food, housing, security, and supportive relationships, are variably distributed in the US and sometimes withheld based on the color of one’s skin, spelling of their name, gender, and other types of discrimination. These upstream inequities result in downstream health disparities. The deeper pressure to improve Medicaid is achieving social justice before Medicaid is even needed. This Special Issue will publish manuscripts showing the need and mechanisms of addressing social inequities. These publications will urge Medicaid programs to reach out to other departments for new and stronger partnerships.
Medicaid is critical to states achieving wellbeing for all their people. Because of Medicaid’s eligibility requirements, by definition, it is a healthcare delivery system directly impacted by social determinants of health. Nearly all people depending on Medicaid experience financial hardship, which is causally related to other physical deprivations, such as depression and anxiety. Articles of interest in this Special Issue will be new healthcare delivery innovations that achieve health equity by also addressing an individual’s social and environmental surroundings. These innovations will assist health service researchers looking for inspiration and implementation scientists in search of methods for deployment.
Because Medicaid is dependent on federal and state government cooperation, this program is often politically charged. Thus, this Special Issue is also meant to house Perspective pieces and Editorials that are well referenced.
Ultimately, we strive for a society where all people are healthy, happy, and secure. This Special Issue is meant to demonstrate our progress toward that vision.
Yours in improving health and healthcare,
Prof. Dr. Christopher R. Cogle
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- medicaid
- health services
- healthcare delivery
- health policy
- population health
- public health
- health equity
- health disparities
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Abstract: Background/Objectives: Tobacco use remains a significant public health issue, particularly among individuals with low incomes, including Medicaid recipients who often face multiple barriers to quitting. This study aimed to identify barriers, from the perspective of Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), influencing Medicaid recipient participation in tobacco cessation programs. Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted with Florida Medicaid MCOs to elicit processes for case identification, outreach, referral, program participation, and incentives. Answers were synthesized into themes. Results: Medicaid recipients were primarily identified through nicotine dependency claim codes or Health Risk Assessments (HRAs). Individuals were referred to state and local community tobacco cessation programs through text messaging and outreach by MCO case managers. The MCOs identified as barriers: primary care physicians (PCPs) with limited knowledge about cessation programs and pharmacologic treatments for nicotine dependence, low availability of health coaches, long wait times for entry into cessation programs, weak coordination between MCOs and cessation programs, and insufficient incentives to individuals for program participation. Suggested strategies to overcome barriers were continuing medical education (CME) for PCPs about tobacco cessation programs and prescription therapies, increasing the training of health coaches, more investment in quit lines, increasing data sharing between MCOs and cessation programs, and increasing incentives for individuals. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of engaging MCOs in discussions about policy and program improvements, as their insights can drive meaningful changes in how tobacco cessation and other preventive health programs are structured and implemented. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance tobacco cessation program participation among Medicaid recipients.
Keywords: tobacco cessation; Medicaid; managed care