As Medicaid Loses Stigma, Election May Cloud Its Future

Under President Barack Obama, Medicaid has expanded to cover more than 70 million people and shed much of the social disapproval from its earlier years as a welfare program. Two big industries - insurers and hospitals - have a declared stake in the future of the program, which costs more than $530 billion a year. Insurers are leading a new "Modern Medicaid Alliance" to educate lawmakers about how the program has moved closer to private coverage.