“Typically, Medicaid enrollees face restricted treatment options and limited access to healthcare. At the same time, they are sheltered from healthcare costs because they pay nothing out of their own pockets when they receive care. This disconnection between patients and costs has led to a dramatic increase in public healthcare spending. All this could change, however, if the government were to implement the 10 Medicaid reforms discussed below. Step 1: Free Patients. One idea for improving Medicaid is to empower consumers in the medical marketplace by allowing them to control some of their own healthcare dollars. A step in the right direction is the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which allows 10 state Medicaid programs to provide Medicaid recipients with Health Opportunity Accounts (HOAs) similar to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) used in the private sector.” (07/01/08)