Virat Agrawal and Neeraj Sood (2026)."Why Medicaid has drifted from its mission — and how to fix It." The Hill
Medicaid has increasingly evolved into an all-in-one safety net by funding non-medical services, including housing — a shift driven by opaque Section 1115 waiver financing and open-ended federal matching. Evidence of meaningful savings or improved health outcomes from this off-mission spending is weak. Greater transparency and capped federal spending would help restore both Medicaid's original mission — providing healthcare to millions of low-income Americans — while reinforcing fiscal guardrails.