July 20th – 22nd, 2021
CCF’s annual conference is geared toward state and national child health advocates and researchers.
It is not open to the press.
View speaker and moderator bios.
View conference agenda.
Tuesday, July 20
Covering All Kids
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
For the past several years, children’s health insurance coverage rates have gone in the wrong direction, prompting renewed interest in strategies to reach all children with comprehensive, affordable health coverage. First, we’ll take a look at the remaining uninsured children, and then we’ll discuss strategies at the federal and state levels that can help get children’s coverage rates back on track and reach the ultimate goal of 100% of children covered.
Speakers:
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- Christopher Perlera, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
- Ciriac Alvarez Valle, Voices for Utah Children
- Jennifer Haley, Urban Institute
- Jessie Mandle, Voices for Utah Children
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Moderator: Kelly Whitener, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Breakout Sessions:
MCO Transparency and Accountability
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET
More than 80 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries receive benefits through capitated managed care arrangements, yet transparency and accountability of managed care plans remain elusive. Effective oversight of Medicaid is essential to advancing health equity and reducing racial disparities through advocacy and access to meaningful performance data to evaluate how well MCOs are serving Medicaid beneficiaries.
Speakers:
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- Andy Schneider, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families | View slides
- Monica Trevino, Michigan Public Health Institute | View slides
- Mike Odeh, Children Now | View slides
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Moderator: Edwin Park, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Planning for the End of the Public Health Emergency
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET | View slides
Medicaid and CHIP played a critical role in helping states respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. This session will focus on eligibility, coverage, and delivery system changes made to state Medicaid and CHIP programs during the public health emergency including key dates related to the unwinding and considerations for state advocates and others as they plan for the end of the public health emergency.
Speakers:
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- Julie Bataille, GMMB
- Kristen Golden Testa, The Children’s Partnership
- Tamar Magarik Haro, The American Academy of Pediatrics
- Tricia Brooks, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
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Moderator: Anne Dwyer, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Wednesday, July 21
Maximizing Medicaid’s Opportunity to Achieve Maternal and Child Health Equity
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET | View slides
Pregnancy and childbirth in the US is deadlier than in many other countries, and Black, Indigenous, and other birthing people of color bear the greatest share of the burden. Medicaid finances nearly half of all births each year, so it is an essential place for policy change that will improve maternal and child health outcomes. With increased federal and state action to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage and focused attention on reducing racial health disparities, we will hear the latest on efforts to maximize Medicaid’s potential to provide all families a healthy start.
Speakers:
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- Rep. Lauren Underwood, Illinois’s 14th District
- Adriana Kohler, Texans Care for Children
- Dr. Jamila Taylor, The Century Foundation
- Patricia Canning, Advocates for Children of New Jersey
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Moderator: Maggie Clark, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Breakout Sessions:
Promoting the Value and Importance of Medicaid
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET
Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to more than 72 million people, yet there are many people who are eligible but not enrolled and many more without access to affordable health coverage who could become eligible. There are numerous audiences to reach to secure policy wins in making coverage available and affordable to all Americans. This session will explore how diverse messengers with direct experience with the Medicaid program (e.g. parents, patients, providers, community members, etc.) can direct and push the needle on advocacy with policymakers and the broader public. We will also feature several state partners who have been engaged in collecting lived experiences in Medicaid and what lessons they have learned, and we will hear from our partners at GMMB as to how advocates can drive home the message with lawmakers, key decision-makers, and the public.
Speakers:
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- Cindy Ji, Children’s Defense Fund-Texas
- Hillarie Hagen, Idaho Voices for Children
- La-Mine Perkins, NC Child
- Sandy Won, GMMB
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Moderator: Kyrstin Racine, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Advancing Health Equity
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET
The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the striking health disparities that have long existed in the United States, particularly for communities of color. While inequities occur across the coverage spectrum, Medicaid has a key leadership role to play in closing the gap on disparities and improving health outcomes for children and low-income families. This session will examine the variation in how state Medicaid agencies collect race and ethnicity data, and ways that stakeholders can assess Medicaid policy through a health equity lens. We’ll also discuss how state health policy groups can help advance health equity through advocacy.
Speakers:
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- Amber Bellazaire, Michigan League for Public Policy | View slides
- Emily Zylla, State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) | View slides
- Tekisha Everette, Health Equity Solutions | View slides
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Moderator: Tricia Brooks, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Thursday, July 22
CMS Keynote and National Policy Outlook
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET
We’ll hear from the top CMS official on the state of Medicaid and the Biden administration’s plans to improve coverage, affordability, access, health equity, and quality of care.
Speaker: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Respondents:
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- Linda Dixon, Mississippi Center for Justice
- Mary Nelle Trefz, Common Good Iowa
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Moderators: Joan Alker and Margaux Johnson-Green, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
