2013
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New Graphic Shows that Even Under the Supplemental Measure Poverty Remains High for Some States
By Tara Mancini Everyone loves a good infographic, and here is a pretty nifty one from Stateline that visualizes the difference between the official poverty rate and the supplemental poverty measure for all 50 states and D.C. Readers can toggle between three different hover maps: The three-year average (2010-2012) of the official poverty rate for…
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Translating Eligibility and Enrollment Lingo
My colleagues just released a helpful update on state progress in creating more consumer-friendly eligibility and enrollment systems. If you’re like me, when reading Medicaid eligibility terms like “MAGI conversion” and “flat file,” your mind wanders to a foreign money exchange or even a children’s book character—yes, the omnipresent Flat Stanley—rather than focusing on people…
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CHIPRA Performance Incentive Helps States Give the Gift of Coverage All Year Long
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling quite crunched by the holiday calendar this year. The usual holiday stress has emerged, so to keep things in perspective I, like my colleagues, am reflecting on all those things we have to be grateful for this year. One of those things is the Children’s Health Insurance…
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Health analysts question Corbett’s plan for uninsured
Philly December 08, 2013 By Don Sapatkin, Gov. Corbett’s plan for a market version of the Medicaid expansion envisioned by Obamacare seeks far more change than any other state has tried, health experts said Friday, raising questions about its effectiveness and likelihood of federal approval. In details posted for the first time Friday, Corbett described…
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Pa. governor posts draft of application for Medicaid exchange waiver
Modern Healthcare December 06, 2013 By Virgil Dickson, Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett posted a draft copy of an application for a Medicaid waiver that would allow the state to collect federal Medicaid funds to help low-income residents buy coverage in the health insurance exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The…
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Another Reason to Be Thankful: Sixteen States to Eliminate CHIP Waiting Periods
While we’re still celebrating our nation’s continued success in improving coverage for children, there’s another reason to be thankful. As news has trickled in over the past few months about states eliminating their CHIP waiting periods, CCF teamed up with MACPAC staff to take stock of where things stand. And the good news is that…
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National League of Cities Awards 12 Cities Planning Grants for Health Benefit Outreach Campaign
By Wesley Prater As part of the NLC’s Cities Expanding Health Care Access for Children and Families Initiative, funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, 12 cities recently were awarded planning grants up to $30,000 to develop citywide outreach campaigns, focused on enrolling eligible children and families in Medicaid and CHIP. During a six-month planning period, the…
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Corbett seeks federal nod for Medicaid plan
Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau December 05, 2013 By Karen Langley, HARRISBURG — After months of discussion, the Corbett administration today will begin seeking approval of its plan to use federal money to provide private health insurance to the working poor. Instead of making half a million low-income Pennsylvanians eligible for Medicaid, as envisioned by the new…
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Handling Premiums with Care in Medicaid, CHIP and the Marketplace
In my former life as a CHIP director, I came to appreciate how tough it is for low-income families to make ends meet. In the hierarchy of needs, I think we all agree that paying the rent and utilities, putting food on the table, and making sure you can show up for work by having…
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Handle with Care: How Premiums Are Administered in Medicaid, CHIP and the Marketplace Matters
The evidence is clear that premiums that are unaffordable or charged at too low an income level are a barrier to enrollment and retention of health coverage. However, the approach to premium collection also plays an important role in helping low-income families and individuals secure and maintain coverage. In this new brief, CCF explores the…
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Extending Medicaid: Good for Parents, Great For Kids! Here’s Why
One of the best state approaches for covering the remaining low-income uninsured children is to put out the welcome mat for the whole family by extending Medicaid coverage for parents. While most low-income kids are currently eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, they continue to be disproportionately uninsured: in 2012, they were 45.1 percent of the…
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CMS Offers States Transitional Use of “Flat Files” for Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment
By Martha Heberlein Citing the ongoing delay in transferring Medicaid/CHIP applicants from the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) to states, CMS has given states the option to enroll new Medicaid applicants based on the “flat files,” as opposed to full applicant accounts, in the hopes of getting new applicants connected to coverage by January 1. To…
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Putting Out the Welcome Mat for Parents by Extending Medicaid Helps Children
While most low-income children are currently eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, low-income children (those below 200 percent of the FPL) are disproportionately uninsured. One of the best state approaches for covering these remaining low-income children is to put out the welcome mat for the whole family by extending Medicaid coverage for parents and other low-income…
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CMS Releases First Monthly Report on Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment
Just over 1.46 million persons were determined eligible for new Medicaid or CHIP coverage in October – that is an 8.6% increase from the average of the three months prior. The vast majority is Medicaid eligible (1,344,661) with 115,706 new CHIP eligibles – almost evenly divided between states that are expanding Medicaid and those that…
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State Decisions on Health Insurance Policy Cancellations Fix
Under the Administration’s transitional policy fix for people whose health insurance plans were canceled, states and insurers are encouraged, but not required, to allow people to re-enroll in and even renew these plans. This means that health plans that exist today, but do not comply with the Affordable Care Act’s new protections set to go into effect…
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One Step Closer to the Basic Health Program
While many of us have our focus on health coverage that begins on January 1, 2014, I am also keeping my eye on a new option for states to provide more affordable coverage to low-income parents and other adults that starts on January 1, 2015. Right before Thanksgiving, we filed comments on the Basic Health…
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New Resource for Assisters Covers Private Insurance and Market Plans
Almost two months into open enrollment for the new Health Insurance Marketplaces, it is clear consumer assistance is essential to helping people understand their coverage options. Fortunately, the ACA anticipated this need by requiring the marketplaces to have Navigators who will help consumers compare options and enroll in coverage. The Administration and states are also…
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Good News For Uninsured Children
CBS Philly December 01, 2013 By Cherri Gregg PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Despite the controversy over the Affordable Care Act, a new report shows there is good news when it comes to children’s access to healthcare. The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families used US census data to find that the number of uninsured children is on the…
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Are Alaska’s rates of uninsured children really that bad?
Alaska Dispatch November 29, 2013 By Alex DeMarban, If Gov. Sean Parnell is truly serious about improving health care access for low-income Alaskans, his administration will have its work cut out as it tries to find holes in the state’s safety net. A recent national study by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families highlights the challenge…
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One In Eight Texas Kids Lack Health Insurance
Houston Public Media November 29, 2013 By Carrie Feibel, Texas still ranks at the top when it comes to the number of children without health insurance. According to a new study, the number of uninsured children recently dropped by two percent, but Texas kids are still more likely to be uninsured than the national average.…