Closing the Medicaid coverage gap would provide health coverage for over 2.2 million low-income Americans who are currently ineligible for any federal health insurance supports. These families live in the 11 states where Republican state officials have refused to accept generous federal funding to expand their state Medicaid programs to cover the larger low-income population offered coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

This expansion would narrow racial gaps in health access while also delivering benefits to a broad and diverse low-income population. Analyses of recent and historical coverage expansions for low-income families show that the policy saves lives, improves peoples’ health, supports local hospital systems and is a strong investment in long-run socioeconomic well-being.

Read the full brief here.