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CMS Guidance Clarifies that Families First COVID-19 Response Bill’s FMAP Increase Will Benefit CHIP Too
On March 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance related to the temporary increase in the federal Medicaid matching rate (FMAP) included in the Families First COVID-19 response legislation (P.L. 116-127). As we have explained, Families First would increase the FMAP by 6.2 percentage points for all states and territories starting…
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Statement by Joan Alker on Withdrawal of the “Strengthening the Program Integrity of the Medicaid Eligibility Determination Process” Proposed Rule
“Today the Trump Administration wisely withdrew a rule that would have added onerous red tape and slashed enrollment just when people need Medicaid the most, as many lose their jobs and see their hours and wages drastically cut and others are stricken with COVID-19. Medicaid is one of the most powerful tools states have to…
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CHIP and COVID-19 Response
Yesterday, I blogged about my favorite provision in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that requires states to freeze disenrollment in Medicaid through the duration of the public health emergency in order to receive the 6.2 percentage point bump in the state’s regular federal Medicaid matching rate (FMAP). Sadly, the disenrollment freeze does not apply…
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Approved 1135 Waivers and State Plan Amendments for COVID-19
Introduction Section 1135 of the Social Security Act allows the Health and Human Services Secretary to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP requirements during a national emergency. The purpose of this authority is to ensure that during an emergency sufficient health care services are available to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP `beneficiaries. As of March 13,…
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Families First Coronavirus Response Act Freezes Disenrollment in Medicaid
Over the weekend, CCF posted a brief explaining the Medicaid and CHIP provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act enacted on March 18, 2020. In particular, we highlighted four requirements that states must meet in order to qualify for the 6.2 percentage point FMAP bump. Like the current maintenance of effort (MOE) protecting Medicaid…
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How Would the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Help States Protect People and Public Health
Last week, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act became law (P.L. 116-127). It took effect on the same day as it was signed (March 18). That day came just one week after it was introduced in the House of Representatives. In the parlance of Capitol Hill, when a bill spans numerous programs and multiple committee jurisdictions,…
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Families First Coronavirus Response Act Medicaid and CHIP Provisions Explained
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law (P.L. 116-127) on March 18, 2020. The law is the second piece of legislation enacted by Congress in response to the coronavirus pandemic and negotiations are currently underway on a third, much larger economic stimulus package. The Families First legislation covers a broad range of…
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What Are State Officials Doing to Make Private Health Insurance Work Better for Consumers During the Coronavirus Public Health Crisis?
Slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, and ensuring affected patients receive treatment requires an urgent, coordinated, and comprehensive response from the federal government and states. Efforts must include improving testing capacity, supporting providers, addressing the lack of paid sick leave, and expanding access to Medicaid for the uninsured. At the same time, policymakers…
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center
In response to the public health emergency caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families has created this resource center to keep you up to date on the latest in health coverage. [If you need help finding affordable health coverage or meeting other needs, call or text 211 for…
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Coronavirus forces reckoning for Trump’s healthcare cuts
Los Angeles Times By: Noam Levey The widening coronavirus pandemic is forcing the Trump administration to pause, and even reverse, its years-long effort to roll back healthcare regulations and restrict access to the nation’s medical safety net. … “Putting up barriers to coverage has been a big part of this administration’s healthcare agenda,” said Joan…
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GOP-led states diverge on easing Medicaid access during COVID-19
Modern Healthcare By: Harris Meyer At least two Republican-led states want to temporarily ease their Medicaid waiver requirements and make it easier for residents to get and keep coverage under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program during the coronavirus pandemic. … “Work requirements and premiums are precisely the kinds of policies that are dangerous…
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Report: Health coverage declines for Latino children
Wisconsin Examiner By: Erik Gunn The U.S. is falling behind in securing health care coverage for America’s children, but especially so in covering Latino children, according to a new report released Wednesday. And while some states are doing better than others, Wisconsin is part of that decline. Between 2016 and 2018, the number of Latino…
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We Must Rise to the Challenge and Help Latino Children Get the Health Care They Need
Yesterday (March 18, 2020), we released a report, “Decade of Success for Latino Children’s Health Now in Jeopardy,” in partnership with UndiosUS. The data in this report predate the recent COVID-19 outbreak, but the message is clear. All children need health coverage – especially in times like these. An effective defense against a pandemic includes…
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Report Finds Latino Children Losing Ground in Health Coverage
Decades of progress providing health coverage to more Latino children has begun to erode, with the number of uninsured Latino children climbing to 1.6 million and the uninsured rate growing from 7.7 to 8.1 percent between 2016 and 2018, according to a new report by UnidosUS and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. This marks…
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CMS Should Withdraw Medicaid State Financing and Supplemental Payment Rule That Undercuts COVID-19 Relief Bill’s Enhanced Federal Medicaid Match
[Editor’s Note: On March 18, 2020 the Senate passed and the President signed into law the bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) after this blog was published.] Today (March 18, 2020), the Senate is expected to pass the House-passed coronavirus relief bill (H.R. 6201) and send it to the President’s desk. The bill…
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Patients slip through healthcare’s safety net amid Medicaid financing debate
Modern Healthcare By: Alex Kacik The trade-off seemed simple in theory—hospitals would need less federal funding when the Affordable Care Act extended coverage to millions of Americans. … “The biggest lifeline for hospitals would be for states to expand Medicaid, particularly those in rural areas,” said Edwin Park, a research professor at Georgetown University who…
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The high cost of being Trump’s enemy
Kaiser Health News By: Rachel Bluth President Donald Trump makes his disdain for California clear, lashing out at the Golden State as a “filthy dirty” and “horrible” outpost cursed by homelessness and wildfires. California, in turn, has challenged the Trump administration dozens of times on issues such as auto emissions, immigration and union dues. … In February,…
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Protected: Decade of Success for Latino Children’s Health Now in Jeopardy Social Media
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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CMS Releases FAQ on COVID-19 for Medicaid and CHIP
The coronavirus pandemic is a stark reminder of the critical role that Medicaid and CHIP play in assuring the health of Americans, particularly during health emergencies, natural disasters, and economic downturns. Yesterday, CMS released a helpful FAQ relating to flexibilities Medicaid and CHIP agencies have in responding to this public health emergency. In particular, it…
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Democrats propose hiking federal Medicaid payments in COVID-19 stimulus deal
Modern Healthcare By: Rachel Cohrs House Democrats proposed an 8% increase in federal Medicaid matching funds to states in Congress’ second legislative package in response to COVID-19, which could ease the burden of the outbreak on state budgets and provider reimbursement. … States operate on balanced budgets and without assistance could be forced to cut Medicaid…
