Maryland had previously ranked 44th in the nation in Medicaid eligibility for adults, according to Vincent DeMarco, President of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, which lobbied for the plan.
Since the expansion - promoted over the past year through a public relations campaign that included appearances by Baltimore Ravens players - the state has moved to the 21st spot for eligibility, DeMarco said.
Officials acknowledge that the shaky economy has driven more families than expected into the program.
"When we did the projections, nobody was really anticipating there would be such an increase in unemployment," said Folkemer. "Now that that's happened, there have been more people coming to Medicaid than we previously thought."
After Angela Newman of Baltimore lost her job with the University System of Maryland last year, she also lost her health insurance.
"It's almost like being without food," she said. "If you don't have it, it's all you think about."
When she enrolled her two sons, ages 9 and 6, in a popular federal-state health care plan for children, she also learned she was eligible for Medicaid coverage herself.
"I felt whole again," she said. "You can't take care of your children unless you're healthy."
It's not just the unemployed who are taking advantage of the opportunity. Officials estimate that more than a quarter of new enrollees could be dropping private insurance to participate in Medicaid, based on national trends. It's a phenomenon known as "crowding out," which troubles critics of government-run health care programs.
Newman was among the 100 or so Marylanders who gathered for a forum Wednesday at the Patterson Theater in East Baltimore, where members of the state's congressional delegation briefed attendees on the unfolding health care debate in Washington.
U.S. Rep. John P. Sarbanes, a Baltimore County Democrat, said he supported a government-provided insurance option that is part of the Democratic health plan in the House.
"I'm real optimistic that once we make the transition, there will be savings," Sarbanes. "Where we are now is unsustainable."
By the numbers
A quick look at Maryland's Medicaid program:
$7,000
Old limit on the annual income for a family of three to be eligible
$20,500
New limit for family of three
26,605
Anticipated number of enrollees due to new income limits
44,255
Actual number of additional enrollees
810,000
Total Medicaid enrollees (all programs)
770,000
Estimated number of uninsured (2007)
Source: Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
