Impact of Medicaid Expansion

Responding to Health Policy Discussion

Bukola O.

The Health Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is an excellent federal program that can positively affect the community if well implemented and embraced by the community members (Cantor et al., 2020). However, a significant challenge of the program is that it is difficult to modify the lifestyle of people who are used to fast foods. While there might be inequality in food access, some individuals have become overly reliant on fast foods and convenience stores. Even with access to healthy foods, the consumption of said foods could be limited (Freedman et al., 2021). Therefore, the program could teach people how to prepare the vegetables and foods they purchase or receive. Considering that most food desert areas have low income, those living in those areas might not be used to fresh fruits and vegetables. Converting to these healthy foods is difficult, hindering their effectiveness. For the program to be effective, the state should consider reducing the number of fast-food restaurants and limiting their access.

Juanita R

Low-income individuals need support in many areas, and implementing the Medicaid expansion would offer them vital support in accessing health services to increase the population's productivity (Mazurenko et al., 2018). People must be healthy, and the best way is through access to health services. Expanding Medicaid to incorporate Hispanics gives the state the necessary human resources to generate more income in terms of taxes since the individuals would be working more hours. The good thing about implementing the expansion is that the state of Georgia will receive new funding from the American Rescue Plan (Olfson et al., 2018). The funding could support the expanded program and allow the state to continue supporting the expansion. It would be interesting to know the reason behind the failure of the state to implement the expansion, considering Georgia has a vast number of Hispanics. Addressing the underlying issues could allow for the implementation of the expansion and reduce health disparities in the state. The federal government could push for the mandatory expansion of Medicaid to ensure that all Americans with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level get coverage.

References

Cantor, J., Beckman, R., Collins, R. L., Dastidar, M. G., Richardson, A. S., & Dubowitz, T. (2020). SNAP Participants Improved Food Security And Diet After A Full-Service Supermarket Opened In An Urban Food Desert: Study examines impact grocery store opening had on food security and diet of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants living in an urban food desert. Health Affairs, 39(8), 1386-1394. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01309