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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…
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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…
