Date of Award
2015
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Abstract
One of the mandates of Obamacare is the expansion of Medicaid to enhance access to affordable health care. However, the success or failure of implementation hinges not only on the soundness of the policy, but also on how effectively the states and local agencies will implement the policy. One of the purposes of this study is to measure the effectiveness of local implementation through its impact on Medicaid participation rate. The study examines the New Public Management (NPM) techniques adopted by the County of Santa Clara’s Social Services Agency (SSA) to implement Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. Although this researcher is currently an employee of SSA, this study was not sanctioned by the agency, but was independently undertaken as an academic requirement for Golden Gate University’s Executive Master of Public Administration program.
The findings in this study show that Medicaid participation rate for non-elderly adults with no children—a class of previously ineligible beneficiaries targeted by the Medicaid expansion—nearly doubled in the first year of Obamacare implementation. The study establishes a positive correlation between the local implementation of NPM techniques and policy outcome in connection with the Medicaid expansion. While challenges remain for local welfare agencies as Obamacare implementation is relatively at infancy, this study finds that the SSA’s adoption of NPM techniques to implement the Medicaid expansion effectively reduced the number of uninsured residents in Santa Clara County in the first year of policy implementation.
Recommended Citation
Ravelo,, Pedro Peterjun Jr., "Measuring Effectiveness of Obamacare’s Medicaid: A Case Study of Early Implementation in Santa Clara County" (2015). EMPA Capstones. 296.
https://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/capstones/296