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COVID-19 makes it clear: Medicaid block grants will make everyone worse off
The Hill The Trump administration prepares for the best instead of the worst. … Furthermore, Medicaid is countercyclical — increasing in size and scope when the economy turns downward. The federal matching rate, which has been increased under the emergency COVID-19 relief package, injects dollars into state economies. As Edwin Park from Georgetown University Center for Children…
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Hospitals await details as emergency fund allocations begin
Roll Call Background provided by Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University Center for Children and Families The Trump administration is beginning to distribute money from a new $100 billion hospital emergency fund to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the hardest-hit hospitals are not prioritized in the first wave of money, and parameters on…
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Medicaid, CHIP, and COVID-19 Webinar
https://sqps.onstreamsecure.com/origin/InfiniteConferencing/Web%20Recordings/DatedRecordings/040720/Georgetown/040720GEORGETOWN.mp4 Download the slide deck.
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The Rate of Uninsured Infants and Toddlers is Growing. Don’t Let COVID-19 Pandemic Make Things Worse
Three+ weeks into my at-home work existence with a fellow teleworking spouse, a 3rd grader and a preschooler and I’ve found a new base level of stress, despite yoga, workouts, mediation and ALL of the deep breaths. It’s hard. And yet our family is among the luckiest of Americans. We are safe and healthy. We…
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Kids Lose Access to Critical Health Care Source When Schools Shutter Due to COVID-19
In some schools, nurses deliver the first dose of asthma medicine to students who need it every morning. In others, dentist technicians show up to clean children’s teeth and look for cavities. Across the country, school-based physical and mental health therapists support students with disabilities. With more than 120,000 schools nationwide shuttered for the foreseeable…
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Expanded Coverage for COVID-19 Testing is an Important Step, But Loopholes Expose All of Us to Greater Risk
[This blog was originally posted on the Georgetown Center on Health Insurance Reforms’ CHIRBlog.] After a delayed response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has significantly picked up the pace. In the space of three weeks, Congress enacted three stimulus bills: An $8.3 billion emergency appropriations bill (March 6), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (March…
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Rate of Uninsured Infants and Toddlers on the Rise
Introduction The percentage of infants and toddlers without health insurance is growing. The overall rate of uninsured children under 3 increased significantly for the first time in several years, growing from 3.5 percent in 2016 to 4.1 percent in 2018 (see Figure 1). This trend mirrors the national increase in the uninsured rate for all…
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Medicaid Work Requirements and COVID-19: The Wheels Come Off
The wheels have come off of the CMS Administrator’s work requirements bus tour. Ill-conceived from the start, the Administrator’s effort to “reframe” Medicaid has been brought to an abrupt halt by the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting economic collapse, and the Congressional response, which prohibits states from disenrolling resident Medicaid beneficiaries for any reason, including work…
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Medicaid will be a coronavirus lifeline
Axios Medicaid will be a lifeline for droves of Americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Why it matters: Medicaid has long been the safety net that catches people during hard times, but a crisis of this magnitude will call upon the program — and strain states’ budgets — like never before. (Herman, 4/1) … Read…
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Medicaid Nearing ‘Eye Of The Storm’ As Newly Unemployed Look For Coverage
Kaiser Health News As the coronavirus roils the economy and throws millions of Americans out of work, Medicaid is emerging as a default insurance plan for many of the newly unemployed. That could produce unprecedented strains on the vital health insurance program, according to state officials and policy researchers. Americans are being urged to stay…
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MACPAC Watching Lessons Learned From COVID-19 Response In Medicaid
Inside Health Policy The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission indicated Thursday (April 2) that it will closely monitor lessons learned in Medicaid after the coronavirus pandemic is over, including how Medicaid expansion states fared over non-expansion states. … Commissioner Tricia Brooks called on the commission to encourage CMS to back down on its…
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A Guide To Applying For Medicaid And Marketplace Insurance In The D.C. Region
WAMU 88.5 If you’re uninsured or have been recently laid off, you and your family members might be eligible for free or low-cost health coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or premium subsidies through the Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage. … Research courtesy of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families…
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Record number of unemployed Americans will stress state Medicaid programs
NBC News … Another concern is whether states have the institutional framework to address the surge in demand. Multiple states have reported their unemployment websites crashing, and many have complained that they are unable to reach their state offices on the phone — some are even unable to pay out all the unemployment claims they…
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Pandemic Puts Need for Improved Access to Affordable Health Coverage into Sharper Focus
I’ve spent my career in health care policy, working to make sure families have easy access to quality health care. As such, I’m acutely aware of the difference between individuals getting access to affordable health coverage versus public health overall, the effort to maintain and improve the health of populations. And with the COVID-19 pandemic…
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Much of the Fiscal Relief Provided to States for COVID-19 Could be Canceled Out if Trump Administration’s Medicaid “MFAR” Rule Is Finalized
Congress included substantial fiscal relief for states in both the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) and the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136). Families First temporarily increased the federal Medicaid matching rate (FMAP) by 6.2 percentage points for all states and territories starting January 1, 2020 through the end of the public health emergency. That…
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Navigating Coverage During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Frequently Asked Questions
[This post by our partners at the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms focuses mainly on questions about Marketplace coverage. Medicaid and CHIP provide even more affordable health coverage options to those who qualify. You can can learn more about Medicaid and CHIP coverage here.) The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been the cause of…
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The CARES Act: A Missed Opportunity to Help State Medicaid and CHIP Programs Protect People and Public Health
Today (March 27) the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, was approved by the House of Representatives by a voice vote after clearing the Senate by 97-0. It is now on its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law. This is the third Congressional response (to date) to the COVID-19…
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Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Impact on Pregnant Women Covered by Medicaid and CHIP
As we continue to unpack the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, we thought we’d take a closer look at how the bill will impact pregnant women covered by Medicaid and CHIP. First, some important background. Eligibility. Medicaid and CHIP offer multiple coverage pathways for pregnant women, including mandatory and optional coverage groups. Medicaid requires coverage…
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Medicaid Disaster Relief SPA Template Suggests Positive Steps States Can Take During the COVID-19 Pandemic
CMS has created a helpful template to make it easier for states to make temporary changes to their Medicaid State Plans during the COVID-19 National Emergency. For most strategies, states need only check off options on the template or, in some cases, provide brief descriptions of the groups or populations affected by the change. The…
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Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Cost Sharing Policies as of January 2020: Findings from a 50-State Survey
Introduction As the COVID-19 pandemic expands, needs for health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP will increase for people who get sick and who lose private coverage due to the declining economy. Increasing enrollment for the 6.7 million uninsured individuals who are eligible for Medicaid and facilitating enrollment for the growing numbers of individuals who will…
