2017
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State Debate: GOP Rep. Gallagher Cited For Bipartisanship; Foxconn Still Occupies the Commentators
The Cap Times Columnist Bill Kaplan, writing on WisOpinion, gives a shout-out to Wisconsin’s 8th District Congressman Mike Gallagher for exhibiting solid signs of bipartisanship in tackling some of the country’s knotty problems. Gallagher, for example, has joined 42 other Republican and Democratic members of Congress seeking a bipartisan approach to fixing health care, a huge step…
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Critics Ask: What’s The Financial Fallout If Foxconn Fails To Live Up To ‘The Hype’?
The Cap Times By Lisa Speckhard Pasque Since the announcement that Taiwan LCD manufacturer Foxconn will build a factory in Wisconsin, the news has been full of numbers: the potential number of jobs created, the billions Foxconn will invest and the billions in tax incentives. … Jon Peacock, director of the Wisconsin Budget Project, appeared…
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States Prepare For Losing CHIP Funding Despite Reassurances From Congress
Inside Health Policy States have started preparing in case federal funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program run out, the National Academy for State Health Policy said, and CMS recently discussed CHIP contingency plans with state officials, though states received assurances of bipartisan support for CHIP by Senate Finance Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and ranking…
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States Prepare For Losing CHIP Funding Despite Reassurances From Congress
InsideHealthPolicy By: Michelle Stein States have started preparing in case federal funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program run out, the National Academy for State Health Policy said, and CMS recently discussed CHIP contingency plans with state officials, though states received assurances of bipartisan support for CHIP by Senate Finance Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and…
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The High Cost of Foxconn
The Urban Milwaukee By Jon Peacock The cost of the proposed new tax credits for the tentative deal with Foxconn could be far larger per job created than some people have suggested. Those costs will vary greatly depending on the ratio of spending for payroll versus the capital expenditures.
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Medicaid: Stronger After Senate Rejects Cap
A dramatic 49-51 vote in the Senate last Friday brought an end to the effort to cap federal payments to state Medicaid programs–at least for now. This was the third major push to cap federal payments to states in Medicaid’s 52-year history. In 1981, President Reagan and his Budget Director, David Stockman, narrowly failed in…
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CHIP Programs Cannot Be Shut Down on a Moment’s Notice – Congress Needs to Make Decision on CHIP’s Future
Most CHIP directors I have known over the years are truly committed to the mission of covering children. They recognize the importance of coverage to children’s healthy development, along with the economic security and peace of mind it provides to families. So no doubt many CHIP directors are biting their nails over the fact that…
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CHIP Turns 20: A Not So Happy Birthday
Saturday marks the twentieth anniversary of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which was signed into law on August 5th, 1997 by President Bill Clinton as part of the Balanced Budget Act. As readers of SayAhhh! know, CHIP and its companion Medicaid, have done an amazing job of reducing the number of uninsured children to…
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What Every Policy Maker Needs to Know about the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – A Refresher
Much to our pleasant surprise here at CCF, the recent health care debate elevated and educated many lawmakers on the role of Medicaid for children and families. Medicaid, of course, is the foundation of health coverage for children in the U.S.—a fact that was often overlooked until recently, even by health-savvy lawmakers. But Say Ahhh!…
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New Pediatric Quality Core Measure Set Released by Collaborative of Public and Private Payers
About a year and a half ago, CMS, commercial health plans, Medicare and Medicaid managed care plans, purchasers, physician and other health-related professional groups, and consumers teamed up to reach consensus on core quality measures that would be reported across payers in the public and private sectors. The initiative, known as the Core Quality Measures…
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Medicaid Expansion Reduced Unpaid Medical Debt, Improved Financial Well-Being for Families
As readers of Say Ahhh! know, we are always interested in new Medicaid research on access to care and economic security. Two recent studies focus on these topics, examining Medicaid enrollees’ satisfaction with health care and the financial aspects of having Medicaid. The first study uses new data from the first-ever national Medicaid Consumer Assessment…
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Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
NPR Shots By Julie Appleby Jana Gundy and Amanda Chaffin, who live within two hours of each other in Oklahoma, each have a child with the same devastating disease. The genetic condition, spinal muscular atrophy, robs its sufferers of muscle strength, affecting their ability to sit, stand or even breathe. … With any costly new…
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State’s Students Under Medicaid Cuts
The Journal Gazette Medicaid issues might not seem to fall under the purview of the state superintendent of public instruction, but Jennifer McCormick knows the vital link between the federal health care program and Indiana schools. That’s why she sent a letter to each member of the state’s congressional delegation, urging them to protect Medicaid funding. ……
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Unexpected Defeat of Repeal Bill Doesn’t Mean End of Threats to ACA Health Coverage
In the wake of the surprise defeat of the Senate’s effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump tweeted: “As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!” The Trump administration does in fact have considerable ability to undermine and even “implode” the ACA’s insurance marketplaces, independent of Congress.…
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What Was In The Failed Senate ‘Skinny Repeal’ Health Care Bill?
CNN Money By: Tami Luhby Lawmakers only had a few hours to consider the “skinny repeal” bill before voting on it. The legislation would have unwound parts of Obamacare in hopes of winning the approval of at least 50 of their members. Senators would have then hammered out a final bill with the House in…
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‘Skinny Repeal’ Bill Would Put Medicaid for Children and Families at Risk (Part 2)
Last night I wrote a blog about how Medicaid is clearly not protected in a “skinny repeal” even though there are no direct changes in what’s reportedly being contemplated because it is merely a tool to get to substantial Medicaid cuts later. But here is another risk. The Congressional Budget Office’s score of how Medicaid…
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The Most Influential Health Care Studies, According to Twitter
The Incidental Economist Austin Frakt In an interview, a journalist asked me for the health care studies with greatest policy influence. I said the RAND Health Insurance Experiment and the Oregon Medicaid Study. I added there are certainly more worthy to be named, but this is not a thing my brain does so readily. … Wagnerman K, Alker…
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CCF 2017 Annual Conference: Additional Resources
Tuesday The Playbook: What’s Next for Medicaid? Wednesday Game Changer: Value Based Purchasing for Children The Right Equipment: Improving and Protecting EPSDT Improving EPSDT in Managed Care in Iowa Protecting and Advancing EPSDT in IL Medicaid Managed Care Fielding a Curve Ball: Immigrants and Health Care Things to Keep in Mind When Talking with Immigrants…
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‘Skinny Repeal’ Bill Poses Big Risk to Medicaid
There is a lot of talk now about the Senate passing a “skinny repeal” bill at the end of the current floor debate — which could come as early as tomorrow. Rumor has it that the skinny bill would leave Medicaid out since it has been hard to appease all sides of the Republican caucus,…
