Experts say educating the public on Medicaid is critical amid ongoing threats to cut federal funding for the program.
Dr. Sheila Schuster, licensed psychologist and executive director of the Advocacy Action Network, said Medicaid is the largest source of health care in Kentucky, but few know how it works.
"To really get into the nitty gritty, beyond just the money, but what are the programs?" said Schuster. "How are they run? Who are the providers? Do we have enough providers? How do we keep our healthcare facilities, again, the hospitals, the nursing homes."
The board will dig deep into state Medicaid spending, recommend policies, and stay on top of how federal decisions could impact Kentucky's Medicaid access.
Congress is considering cuts that could affect more than $1 billion in funding for Kentucky Medicaid, but legislators don't need to reduce coverage - said Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health.
"There's a lot we can do to remove wasteful spending on red tape and excessive paperwork from the system without cutting coverage for anyone," said Beauregard, "without reducing services or lowering provider reimbursement rates."
Schuster added that the economic benefits of Medicaid for Kentucky can't be understated.
"Medicaid is a state and federal partnership," said Schuster, "and because we're a poor state, we put up roughly 28 cents and get back 72 cents from the feds to buy every $1 of health care."
Health care providers in eastern Kentucky's fifth congressional district receive more Medicaid funding, as a share of the local economy, than those in any other district, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.