Threats to Medicaid
Repealing the Stability Protections:
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that states maintain their current eligibility standards for Medicaid and CHIP. These stability protections apply to adults until the major components of health reform go into effect on January 1, 2014, and to children until September 30, 2019. If they are rescinded, states could eliminate Medicaid for anyone who is covered at state option, as well as cut eligibility, shut down enrollment or even entirely abolish their CHIP program.
CCF Resources:
- Say Ahhh! A Children’s Health Policy Blog
- Eliminating Medicaid and CHIP Stability Provisions (MoE): What’s at Stake for Children and Families
- Fact Sheet on the Consequences of Repealing Medicaid & CHIP Stability Protections
- Roadblocks to Coverage for Children: Implications of Procedural Cuts in Medicaid and CHIP
- Holding the Line on Medicaid and CHIP: Key Questions and Answers About Health Care Reform’s Maintenance-of-Effort Requirements
Legislative Proposals:
Block-Granting Medicaid:
Federal funding for Medicaid is currently available to states on an "as-needed" basis, but under a block grant, federal funding would be capped. Any substantial changes to the Medicaid financing structure would have a significant impact on the health and economic security of families and communities across the country, as those who have come to rely on the program would no longer be guaranteed enrollment. CCF Resources:
- CHIP: Not a Model for a Medicaid Block Grant
- Say Ahhh! A Children’s Health Policy Blog
- Medicaid and Block Grant Financing Compared