Resources
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As Legislators Wrestle to Define Next Generation of Florida Medicaid, Benefits of Reform Effort Are Far From Clear
Medicaid is a critical part of Florida’s health care system. It covers about 27% of the state’s children, pays for 51% of all deliveries and nearly 66% of nursing home days. In 2006, a five-year pilot program replaced traditional Medicaid with an unusual managed-care model and other features that required a Section 1115 waiver from…
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A Closer Look at Florida’s Medicaid Program
The Florida legislature is in the midst of a hot and heavy debate about the future of the state’s Medicaid program. One of the key questions being discussed is whether or not to expand the state’s controversial Section 1115 Medicaid waiver across the state and across all populations. The waiver is coming to the end…
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Cuts to Medicaid will Ultimately Hurt Business
By Jim Roche, President, Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire For years, business owners and managers have cited the rising cost of health care and health insurance as their top challenge, after the health of the economy. And for years, the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire has tried to do its part…
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Legislative Attacks on ACA Continue
There was a lot of bark but not much bite this week in Congress surrounding the Affordable Care Act. In a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, HHS Secretary Sebelius once again defended the ACA against attacks from opponents, including one who was concerned that it was “too popular”. Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) reassured the Secretary of…
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Arkansas Removes Red-Tape
By Elisabeth Wright Burak, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families The Arkansas Finish Line Coalition was pleased to see Senate Bill 65 signed into law by Governor Mike Beebe Wednesday. It will ensure as many as 20,000 children eligible for ARKids First health insurance aren’t pushed out of coverage because of paperwork errors. The “Red Tape”…
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Utah and MA health exchanges: Not Opposite Sides of Coin
By Joan Alker and Sabrina Corlette, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute A sad reality of working on health care policy at the moment is the incredible politicization of the debate. This climate has the unfortunate byproduct of obstructing compromise and preventing constructive dialogue about different approaches states may take to implementing the Affordable Care Act. Along…
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NAIC Delays Vote on Removing Broker’s Commissions from MLR
There’s been lots of drama at this year’s first meeting of the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) in Austin, TX – way more than any of us consumer representatives to the NAIC expected. The good news, as you may have heard by now, is that the NAIC decided to delay a vote to endorse…
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Senator Stands Up for Medicaid
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care. Amid the larger scuffle on budget-cutting this year, some in Congress are looking for convenient excuses to roll back programs designed to give low-income Americans a hand up in life. Proposed cuts from the House are a direct attack on working Americans –…
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Roadblocks to Coverage for Children: Implications of Procedural Cuts in Medicaid and CHIP
The number of uninsured children reached the lowest level on record in 2008 and 2009. The success in covering children is attributed to expanding eligibility and simplifying application and renewal procedures in Medicaid/CHIP. Stability in the programs is a result of the short-term fiscal relief provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and…
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A Look Back: Why ACA Was Needed From A Young Person’s Perspective
By Aaron Smith, Co-Founder of Young Invincibles As we reach the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, it is important to remember why we fought so hard for this historic law in the first place. What was so necessary and urgent about health care reform that it compelled ordinary Americans to take up this grueling…
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Tennessee Project focuses on Enrolling and Serving Shelter Children
Eric Murray, TennCare Shelter Enrollment Coordinator More than 16,000 Tennessee children experienced homelessness in the 2005-06 school year, according to the America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness, and this number has likely grown in the wake of the national economic crisis of the past several years. These children are almost twice as…
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On the Anniversary of the ACA: A Family Perspective on What It Means for Kids
By Jocelyn Guyer As communities across the nation celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, CCF marked the event in its traditional style – by issuing an issue brief. It has the facts about how the Affordable Care Act will affect children, but also stories from families whose children have personally been touched…
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For the Coverage of a Child – Coverage for Parents
By Martha Heberlein As we look ahead to full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, coverage for children has reached an all-time high, with 90% having secured coverage. Despite that good news, it still means 7.3 million remain without insurance and 65% of them are already eligible for Medicaid and CHIP but not yet enrolled. While there…
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Early Wins for Children on the One-Year Anniversary of Health Reform: Family Perspectives
March 23, 2011 marked the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). There have been early wins for children and their families, even though many of the major provisions do not go into effect until January 2014. This issue brief highlights families from across the country whose children have personally been…
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MACPAC Report Tops My “Must-Read” List
By Martha Heberlein MACPAC (the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission) issued its first mandated report to Congress on March 15th. For those who may get their acronyms muddled, MACPAC was established through CHIPRA and expanded and funded through the ACA. MACPAC (like its long-running sister commission, MedPAC, (which focuses on Medicare) provides technical assistance, policy…
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As ACA Approaches 1st Birthday, Legislative Activity Heats Up
Both the Senate Finance Committee and Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee held hearings this week on aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Here’s a quick summary of those hearings and other developments in Congress. In the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Secretary Sebelius did a good job of responding to criticism of the ACA by…
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Waiving Hello to State Innovation?
By Joe Touschner In a continued push to show that states have flexibility under the Affordable Care Act, the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Treasury this week proposed rules for states to apply for innovation waivers under section 1332 of the ACA. Under current law, states could negotiate a waiver of ACA…
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Electronic Signatures: How Do They Work for Medicaid and CHIP?
Online applications and electronic signatures promote administrative efficiency in Medicaid and CHIP. Currently, 29 states accept electronic signatures for online applications for Medicaid for children and 23 of the 38 separate state CHIP programs accept electronic signatures. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that states must establish an internet website allowing individuals to apply for,…
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E-Signatures: Hasn’t the Time Come?
Our good friend Beth Morrow at The Children’s Partnership (TCP) posted a blog last week to highlight a new issue brief on the importance of moving access to public health coverage to smart phones and other mobile devices. I’m all for it but let’s not forget we still have some catching up to do on…
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Commonwealth Survey Underscores Need to Move Forward on ACA and Hold Steady on Medicaid & CHIP
A survey released today by the Commonwealth Fund underscores the need for states to hold steady in their commitment to health insurance programs such as Medicaid and CHIP while families struggle to find solid footing in the aftermath of the recession. It also provides solid evidence that 2014 and full implementation of the Affordable Care…