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D.C. Circuit on Medicaid Work Requirements: Read the Statute
For over two years, CMS Administrator Seema Verma has been on a crusade to impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries. Her agency has approved ten state “demonstrations” of work requirements under section 1115 of the Social Security Act. When federal District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled on four separate occasions that the Secretary’s approvals of…
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Child Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP Remains Down in 2019
As of October 2019, the decline in child enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP held at .6 percent for calendar year 2019 based on the most recent enrollment data posted by CMS. While this is an improvement over the 2.2 percent decline in 2018, it still indicates that overall enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP is not…
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Why do some states still require long waits before kids can get health insurance?
USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism By: Giles Bruce A handful of American states still mandate that kids must be uninsured as long as 90 days before they can enroll in a public health insurance program that covers nearly 10 million children… “I think (states) should remove the barrier,” said Tricia Brooks, a researcher at the…
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Trump-Backed Work-for-Medicaid Plan Is Rejected on Appeal (2)
Bloomberg Law By: Lydia Wheeler and Andrew Harris The Trump administration’s legal bid to restore a work requirement for Medicaid benefits in Arkansas was rejected on appeal, a blow to the government’s larger effort to reshape U.S. health-care policy… “I think it sends a very clear signal to the Trump administration that this policy is…
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Appeals Court Strikes Decisively at the Heart of Administrator Verma’s Medicaid Agenda
In a decision which warmed my heart on a cold Valentine’s Day here in Washington, the federal Court of Appeals issued an unanimous opinion striking down the Arkansas work requirements waiver. In doing so, it upheld district court Judge Boasberg’s decision vacating the Arkansas’ Section 1115 waiver (including most famously Medicaid work requirements) because it…
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Opinion: Proposal to help growing number of uninsured kids
Cincinnati.com By: Emily Beauregard If you’ve ever had young children, you know how often they need to see a doctor. With well-baby appointments, routine immunizations for toddlers, and screenings for development milestones with preschoolers, pediatricians recommend that children have 15 check-ups by the time they’re six years old. That’s why it’s so alarming that the…
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Florida Medicaid director: New Trump administration rules would be ‘crippling’ to nursing homes, hospitals
Orlando Sentinel By: Christine Sexton The administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a steadfast supporter of President Donald Trump, is raising concerns about a proposed federal rule that would strike a financial blow to the state’s Medicaid program if allowed to go into effect. … “In terms of all the rules that the Trump administration has…
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New Brief Unpacks How States Can Leverage Medicaid Funds to Expand School-Based Health
It’s been five years since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opened the door to more Medicaid reimbursement for health services delivered in schools. School districts, once restricted to seeking reimbursement only under very specific conditions, were permitted to cover all eligible services delivered to all Medicaid-enrolled students. Put simply, this means more…
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Same Unanswered Questions about Trump Budget’s CHIP Financing Proposal
The Trump Administration’s fiscal year 2021 budget, released on February 10, again proposes to make a legislative change to the financing system for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (described here). Entitled “Strengthen the CHIP Safety Net for States,” the proposal is identical to one included in the 2020 budget. It would eliminate the CHIP’s…
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Administration’s Budget Proposal Includes At Least $1 Trillion in Medicaid Cuts
Earlier this week, the Administration proposed a budget for FY2021 that it says would cut federal Medicaid spending by $920 billion, or 16 percent over the next ten years. (Current law baseline of $5.861 trillion, Table S-3, minus proposed spending of $4.941 trillion,Table S-4). A more realistic number would be at least $1 trillion over…
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Nebraska could pave the way forward for Medicaid work requirements
Modern Healthcare Nebraska’s two-tiered approach to Medicaid expansion has spawned interest among health wonks because its work requirement could stand up to legal scrutiny. … “Does this comport with the objectives of the Medicaid program, which is to provide health coverage to vulnerable people?” said Joan Alker, executive director and a co-founder of the Center…
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Spence: SC’s war against poor residents shows total disconnect with working people
Charleston City Paper South Carolina is a poor state. Past the “Great Day” greetings and glossy magazine rankings, in a slew of economic metrics, many South Carolina residents rank among the poorest in the nation. … Two weeks before Christmas, Gov. Henry McMaster announced that the state received a waiver for a new Medicaid “community…
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Opinion: More Kentucky children lack health insurance, but things could be changing
Courier Journal After years of progress in getting kids covered, the nation now has more than 1 million uninsured young children, a significant increase of 114,000 from 2016 to 2018, according to an analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Kentucky is among the 11 states where both the number and rate…
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In Texas, Thousands of Kids Lose Medicaid Coverage Each Month
The Texas Observer It’s becoming a familiar scene across Texas: a parent brings her child to the doctor for a checkup. She signs in at the front desk. Only then does she learn that her child has been kicked off her health insurance—a casualty of missing paperwork and hoops she didn’t know existed. Next comes the…
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New report finds fewer Ohio children have health insurance
WTOL 11 A new alarming report has Ohio health officials looking for answers after it revealed the number of children in Ohio without health insurance grew for the second year in a row. The study, conducted by Georgetown University, shows nearly 12,000 more children under the age of six without insurance in 2018, compared to…
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Taking steps to cover children
Herald-Star It appears there are more avenues than ever for states to ensure as many children as possible are covered by health insurance. So why were nearly 12,000 fewer Ohio youngsters covered in 2018 than in 2016? … In 2016, 3.6 percent of Ohio children were not covered by health insurance, the Georgetown University Center…
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Editorial: Prospects for long-term health in the US continue to decline
The Columbus Dispatch The health of millennials is worse than the Generation Xers that they follow; and a 40% increase in uninsured rates for the youngest Ohioans — infants to preschoolers — could have long-term consequences not only for their health but also their brain development and overall well-being. Combined, these developments raise serious questions about…
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Providing Health Insurance for Kids
The Intelligencer It appears there are more avenues than ever for states to ensure as many children as possible are covered by health insurance. So why were nearly 12,000 fewer Ohio youngsters covered in 2018 than in 2016? … But if there are other answers — and, most likely, there are — state officials should…
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Cause for alarm: Thousands more Ohio children have lost health insurance
The Columbus Dispatch In the Buckeye State, nearly 12,000 more infants, toddlers and preschoolers were without coverage in 2018 than two years earlier. Advocates are urging Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration to improve and promote access to the tax-funded coverage. … Ohio had 41,642 children without health coverage, an increase of nearly 12,000 in two years,…
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Report Shows Tens of Thousands of Arkansas Children Are Uninsured
KUAF A new report by Georgetown University Center for Children and Families reveals that millions of American children are uninsured — a trend reversal — including tens of thousands of children in Arkansas. … Listen in here!
