"Wow! A book that does exactly what its title promises---captures the politics of the policy of Medicaid. No other work does so as comprehensively and with such sharp insight and purpose. Laura Katz Olson weaves every detail into an overarching struggle between those who would strenthen Medicaid's ability to provide health care for the poor and those who would weaken it. The Politics of Medicaid will be the bible for political scientists and policy analysts alike."---Deborah Stone, Dartmouth College"In a deftly crafted chef d'oeuvre, Laura Katz Olson shines a lantern on the largest medical insurance plan in the land. Though Medicaid accounts for a full 7 percent of the federal budget, it remains the stepchild of welfare provisions in the United States, and perceptions of it provide a looking glass into American values. Getting past the surlies in managed-care companies often places those in need on the outside looking in, subjected to the invisible foot of the medical marketplace. Olson's savvy analysis of medical welfare's arcane policies reminds readers that many of us are but one crushing medical bill away from the same fate. Her insights paint Medicaid as a bit of a shell game between federal and state policies, one that would make Rube Goldberg proud. Truly a medalist performance and a must read as we take the next step toward national coverage."---Jon Hendricks, Oregon State University"In this fascinating and beautifully written book. Laura Katz Olson untangles the complex web of policies and programs that make up Medicaid, the least understood program in the American welfare state. The timing couldn't be better, because Medicaid expansion is a key component of health care reform. Although the uninsured will certainly benefit, Olson makes clear that the providers and contractors who feed off the `medical industrial complex' may benefit even more. The Politics of Medicaid should be required reading for every health policy course."---Jill Quadagno, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy, Florida State University