If you ask my friends and family what I do when I head off to work each day, they know my job has something to do with children and health care, Congress and getting laws passed, and something to do with making sure that all kids, especially those with limited means, have the opportunity to go to the doctor when they are sick or get the vaccines they need to stay healthy. They are right, this is what I do. But recently I realized that I have been doing a disservice to those who are close to me because beyond these broad brush strokes, I usually don’t share very much about my Medicaid advocacy work.

While sometimes I utter the word “Medicaid” when I describe my job, outside of my policy wonk colleagues, most of the people in my life know little about Medicaid. In fairness, it’s not easy to make small talk around the dinner table about how our nation finances health care for the poor. However, given the current state of the economy, the ongoing budget talks on Capitol Hill, and Medicaid’s seemingly imperiled future, I realize I have been remiss. It’s not just my policy friends whom I need to engage in this dialogue.

The fact of the matter is that Medicaid affects every family in America and not just those who get their health coverage through this public program. At a time when people are losing their jobs and their health insurance, and out-of-pocket medical costs are increasing, every family can imagine the urgency they would feel if they needed to go to the doctor but couldn’t afford it. And, with so many families struggling, most can imagine how important having a safety net would be if they had a special needs child or seriously-ill family member. So, starting now, I will talk more, say more, and do more to spread the word about Medicaid and how it works, who it covers, and why it is so important.

For starters, this is what every American – including my friends and family – needs to know about Medicaid:

Medicaid is Designed to Help People When Times are Tough. That’s the Point. Medicaid serves an essential role in our health care system because it ensures that our nation’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens, primarily children and the elderly, are able to get care when they need it most. Medicaid is an income-based program so when the economy is weak and people lose their jobs (and their health insurance) those with the greatest needs (children, the elderly, those who are disabled or with serious illnesses) are not left out in the cold. When the economy sours, more people rely on Medicaid, and this increases costs temporarily.

Medicaid Covers A Lot of Americans, Mostly Kids. Medicaid is the source of coverage for 1 in 5 Americans. It is the single largest insurer of children, covering 30 million low-income kids. More than one-third of all children get their health care through Medicaid and half of all Medicaid enrollees are children. Medicaid also covers 70 percent of all nursing home residents. Without this source of coverage the very poorest people in our country would be uninsured.

Medicaid is Not Available to All Who Are Uninsured. Despite the high rates of uninsured Americans, not everyone who lacks health insurance is eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid covers children and pregnant women, the most impoverished elderly, the disabled and those with serious chronic disease. Non-elderly adults without dependent children, no matter how poor they are are generally ineligible for Medicaid unless they are pregnant or disabled. To give you a sense of the income threshold below which one may qualify for Medicaid, in 2008 Medicaid covered only 45 percent of all poor Americans who lived below the poverty line (those with annual incomes below $22,025 for a family of four).

Medicaid Saves Lives and Money in the Long Run. It is not only the right thing to do to provide care for the poor, the fact of the matter is that without Medicaid our health care system would be much more expensive. Those with modest means would still get sick, but they would likely delay care until they were sicker and would seek care through the emergency room where treatment is much more expensive. When patients are uninsured, the hospitals that have to foot the bill ultimately pass these costs onto the rest of us. Medicaid mitigates the impact of uncompensated care and, more importantly, it allows access to preventive care before people get sick. Medicaid also plays a big role in making sure that care is available during public health crises, natural disasters, 9/11 types of events, and it prevents over-crowding in ER departments so that the trauma system works effectively.

Last week, First Focus released a new report that highlights these facts and Medicaid’s other successes in addressing the health and financial needs of those who are most vulnerable. And just yesterday, we ran an advertisement in Capitol Hill newspapers urging Members of Congress to protect this essential program.

Yes, we need our leaders to come up with solutions to tackle our budget deficit but it is short-sighted both from a fiscal standpoint and a moral standpoint to balance the federal budget by cutting the very programs that sustain our nation during times of crisis and keep our children healthy and on course to becoming contributing members of our community in the not-so-distant future.

Cross posted with author permission from First Focus