2009
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Will Reconciliation Become the Vehicle for Health Reform?
Back in the spring, there was a lot of talk about whether reconciliation could be used as a vehicle to get health reform through Congress (particularly the Senate). The FY 2010 budget resolution ultimately left the option open for Congress to use reconciliation for health reform if an agreement couldn’t be reached by October 15th.…
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A Hero is Lost
The nation has lost a true hero this week. I didn’t think I had any heroes until I heard the news last year that Senator Kennedy had brain cancer. I cried and cried. Why? Because he was a rich white guy who could have taken his marbles and gone home a long time ago. But…
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Children’s Advocates Fear Health Reform Could Undermine CHIP
Yahoo! News August 25, 2009 President Barack Obama signed CHIP reauthorization legislation in February that is expected to expand the program to an additional 6.5 million children through 2013 As Democratic leaders pursue their quest to provide millions of Americans with health care insurance, some advocates see an unlikely casualty of reform: youngsters now covered…
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Keep Your Eye on the Actuarial Value in Health Reform
When my best friend from childhood graduated from college and started taking a series of actuarial exams en route to becoming an actuarial “fellow,” I thought our professional lives would certainly never cross paths. (Actuarial exams are some of the toughest tests in the world according to Milton Friedman, the Noble prize-winning economist, who decided…
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Pediatric Medical Homes Improve Health and Lower Costs
Health reform is capturing all the headlines these days. And much of the emphasis is on how to contain costs. Unfortunately, what Americans aren’t hearing in the debate is a discussion about the proven ways to reduce costs while improving quality of care and health outcomes. The regrettable assumption is that containing costs means taking…
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Health Reform: Good for Mothers, Good for Families
Julia Kaye, Health Policy Associate, National Women’s Law Center There is a common misconception that all low-income people–or, at least, all poor parents–are eligible for Medicaid. It may derive from a mistaken comparison with Medicare; an assumption that just as Medicare covers all people above a certain age, Medicaid must cover all people below a…
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Improving Enrollment and Retention in Medicaid and CHIP: Federal Options for a Changing Landscape
With the new options in CHIPRA, a new Administration in Washington, and the potential for health care reform on the horizon, the time is right to highlight the most promising federal actions that would close these remaining coverage gaps for uninsured children and adults. This report identifies new strategies as well as some variations in…
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The Future of CHIP – What if it Goes Away?
By Jocelyn Guyer It is becoming increasingly clear that Congress may well dismantle the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of broader health reform. Children and their families have much to gain in health reform, as my colleagues and I have written about elsewhere, but this is a change worthy of its own…
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Passes Health Reform Bill: Highlights for Children and Families
Friday evening the Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act. The bill included the amendments and changes I described in my Friday post, including those designed to secure the votes of some of the “Blue Dog” Democrats on the committee without alienating progressive members. The House will now merge this…
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Passes Health Reform Bill: Highlights for Children and Families
This week there was a lot of back-and-forth on health reform as both the House and Senate attempted to get a bill to the floor before the now infamous August recess (which for those of you not up on the Congressional calendar is August 1st to September 8th in the House and August 10th to…
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Survey Cites Kansas for HealthWave Expansion
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kansas is one of at least 18 states that have expanded health insurance programs for children this year, according to a recent survey by Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. “This is a difficult time for state budgets but an even harder time for family budgets, and many states are responding to meet…
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Where are the Parents in Health Reform?
By Martha Heberlein These are uncertain times for children and their families – the threat of job and health insurance losses haunt many. Health reform could provide the peace of mind families need, but it is important to keep in mind that children are just one piece of the family puzzle. Parents must not be…
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Washington, D.C. — Twenty-three states expanded or improved children’s health coverage programs this year despite a tough economic climate
Washington, D.C. — During tough budget times, most states have maintained their commitment to covering uninsured children, according to Jocelyn Guyer, Co-Director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. At least eighteen states have even further strengthened coverage for uninsured children, despite budget problems, according to CCF’s Guyer. “While…
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Opinion: Will Health-Care Reform Hurt Washington Kids?
The historic health-care reform bill makes for an exciting milestone but I am very nervous because it will render obsolete the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Children would instead be moved into a federal “exchange program.” Could be a smart trade-off. Or it could be the health-care-reform version of cash for clunkers. Washington state…
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More than a Dozen States are Moving Forward On Children’s Health Coverage, As California Moves Backward on Covering Uninsured Children, Update
By Jocelyn Guyer A quick addendum… It has been only a few hours since we posted our statement on California’s decision to shut down new enrollment into its Children’s Health Insurance Program even as most states have found ways to maintain or even strengthen their coverage of children. In the interim, some more bad news…
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More than a Dozen States are Moving Forward On Children’s Health Coverage, As California Moves Backward on Covering Uninsured Children
By Jocelyn Guyer During tough budget times, most states have maintained their commitment to covering uninsured children. At least eighteen states have even further strengthened coverage for uninsured children, despite budget problems, as the recession has increased the need. While many states have prioritized covering uninsured children, California lawmakers voted to deny coverage to nearly…
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Build Upon Medicaid Successes in Health Reform
This past weekend some Governors attending their national association’s meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi expressed concern over the future role of Medicaid in health reform. In particular, Tennessee Governor Bredesen, a former healthcare executive, stated that “it’s not health care reform to dump more money into Medicaid.” But indeed, investing more money in Medicaid by paying…
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Affordability is Key for Health Reform
By Sara Gagné-Holmes, Executive Director of Maine Equal Justice Partners In drafting a national plan, Washington should follow Maine’s lead. In the health care debate, most agree that costs will not be controlled until everyone is covered and able to access the right care, including preventive care and management of chronic illnesses, at the right…
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Defying Slump, 13 States Insure More Children
New York Times July 19, 2009 Despite budgets ravaged by the recession, at least 13 states have invested millions of dollars this year to cover 250,000 more children with subsidized government health insurance. The expansions have come in the five months since Congress and President Obama used the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program…
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House Tri-Committee Health Reform Bill
It was another eventful week for health reform. You only have to turn on CNN or read the blogs for the political ins and outs. On perhaps the less sexy side of things, we have been busy reading the House’s new 1,018 page health reform bill, the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. The…