2008
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Health Insurance Gains, Losses Balance Out
U.S. census figures released Tuesday show the number of people without health insurance decreased for the first time since 2001, but that drop was offset by a similar-size increase among those who rely on government health programs. The number of uninsured declined to 45.7 million in 2007 from 47 million a year earlier, according to…
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Georgetown CCF Director Comments on the New Census Data on Uninsured Children
In 2007, the number of uninsured children fell by 500,000 to 8.1 million, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. This progress is a testament to the effectiveness of public programs, which were largely responsible for this movement, and to the strong support nationwide for covering children. In 2006 and…
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Georgetown CCF Director Comments on CMS’s Recent August 17 Directive Announcement
Statement by Cindy Mann, Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute Regarding CMS’s Recent August 17th Directive Announcement The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will, at this time, not take compliance action under the August 17th Directive against the states that…
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West Virginia’s Medicaid Redesign: What is the Impact on Children?
The stated goal of West Virginia’s Medicaid Redesign was to improve the health of beneficiaries by promoting healthy behaviors such as smoking cessation, regular doctor visits, and weight loss. Parents of children who receive health care coverage under Medicaid, even if they aren’t eligible themselves, must sign an agreement or their children will automatically be…
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West Virginia’s Children Bear Brunt of Medicaid Redesign
Washington – More than 93% of West Virginia children participating in Medicaid have faced health benefit restrictions as a result of the state’s penalty-based “Medicaid Redesign” plan according to a study released today by the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. West Virginia received federal approval two years ago to…
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Medicaid Waiver Plan Puts Neediest at Risk, Critics Say
PROVIDENCE –– The critics filled the room. And one by one, they took turns denouncing the unprecedented plan Governor Carcieri says will transform Rhode Island’s health-care system for the better while saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over the next five years. “The risks and unknowns of this global waiver as presented are too…
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Rhode Island’s Global Compact Waiver
Author: Joan Alker Joint Session of the Rhode Island House and Senate Finance Committees Testimony Document August 5, 2008
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Few Tap Healthy Behavior Program
Although a program dedicated to rewarding Medicaid recipients for healthy behavior is a good idea, not many are taking the state up on it, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund said in a study released Thursday. The report from fund-commissioned researchers from Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute on the Enhanced Benefits Rewards Program was its sixth…
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Senators Introduce Resolution to Stop Controversial SCHIP Eligibility Directive
A mostly Democratic group of senators July 17 introduced a joint resolution (S.J. Res. 44) that would prevent implementation of a Bush administration directive the lawmakers say limits states’ ability to provide health insurance to children. The resolution authored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Health Subcommittee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV…
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Georgetown CCF Director Commends Senators on Efforts to Overturn the Bush Administration SCHIP Directive
“I commend this bipartisan group of Senators for working together to overturn the Bush Administration State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) directive. The directive couldn’t have been imposed on the states at a worse time. As more families are experiencing financial hardship, the directive severely limits states’ options to soften the impact of the economic…
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N.J. Mandates Health Insurance for All Children
New Jersey expanded its subsidized health-insurance program and mandated that all children be provided health insurance under a law signed Tuesday. The bill’s sponsors see it as the first step toward universal health coverage in New Jersey, an effort intended to guarantee access to health care while relieving the pressure on hospitals to provide free…
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North Carolina Eligibility Expansion
Summary On July 31, 2007, Governor Mike Easley signed into law NC Kids’ Care. NC Kids’ Care is a new publicly subsidized insurance program for children in families earning 201 percent to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Currently, North Carolina provides Medicaid and Health Choice (its SCHIP program) to children with family…
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The Enhanced Benefits Rewards Program in Florida: Is it Changing the Way Medicaid Beneficiaries Approach Their Health?
A key feature of Florida’s Medicaid Reform pilot is the Enhanced Benefits Rewards Program which provides each Medicaid beneficiary up to $125 a year in credits for certain healthy behaviors, such as keeping a doctor’s appointment. The credits may be applied to the purchase of health and personal care products at participating pharmacies. This policy…
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Key Considerations When Estimating the Cost of Expanding Coverage for Children
In many respects, it would seem easy to estimate the cost of expanding coverage to more children – simply multiply the number of children who will be covered by the per capita cost of serving such children. In practice, however, it can quickly become more complicated, especially given data shortcomings and the assumptions estimators must…
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While Other States Expand SCHIP Eligibility, Kansas Waits
TOPEKA, June 2 — Starting this week, children in Louisiana are eligible for state-funded health insurance if their families’ incomes fall below 250 percent of the federal poverty guideline — $44,000 for a three person household. In Kansas, eligibility won’t reach the 250-percent threshold for another year, at least. Modest-income parents in Louisiana have access…
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Georgetown Center for Children and Families: Strengthening Medicaid Project
Author: Vikki Wachino Council of State Governments — Presentation Document May 2008
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Children’s Healthcare: Stronger Federal Standards Needed
U.S. News and World Report May 28, 2008 Making sure kids have good healthcare is something everybody agrees is important, but a new report shows that some states do a much better job than others of making good on that intention. Aiming to cover more of the roughly 9 million children who lack insurance, both…
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White House May Soften Health Policy
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration appears to be softening a policy that states have complained hindered their efforts to expand healthcare coverage for poor children under a popular state-federal insurance program. In a letter sent to states Wednesday, the administration says it will give states more flexibility to prove that they have enrolled 95% of…
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Choosing Premium Assistance: What Does State Experience Tell Us?
Premium assistance programs use federal and state Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funds to purchase private coverage. Overall, few states have premium assistance programs, but interest in premium assistance remains high. This issue brief examines six state premium assistance programs (in Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia) that allow families to…
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Florida’s Medicaid Reform Pilot Programs: Challenges with Mental Health Services
People with disabilities and chronic conditions, including persons with mental illnesses, present challenges for managed care organizations. As the Florida Legislature, other policymakers and the public track the Medicaid reform pilot programs, it is important to assess how this unique managed care model works for some of the diverse populations affected by reform. This policy…