"Medicaid is the workhorse of the nation’s health system, providing coverage to about one in five Americans."

From The Washington Post:

While an unprecedented 6 million people have gained Medicaid coverage since September, mostly as a result of the Affordable Care Act, more than 1.7 million more are still waiting for their applications to be processed — with some stuck in limbo for as long as eight months, according to officials in 15 large states.

Medicaid is the workhorse of the nation’s health system, providing coverage to about one in five Americans. Twenty-six states have expanded eligibility under the health law to everyone with incomes under 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $16,100 for an individual. But even states that did not expand the program have seen increased demand for coverage, as people who were previously eligible but not enrolled tried to sign up as a result of publicity around the new exchanges and requirements that most Americans have coverage.

Unlike applying for private insurance through the online marketplaces, which can be done only during a few months of the year, people can apply for Medicaid anytime.

For states that used the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, a major complication was the technical issues that kept the federal site from sending complete applicant data to the states.

Georgia’s Medicaid agency said it began to get applications from the federal marketplace only in May.