Blog
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Increase in Federal Medicaid Matching Rate Should Be Essential Element of Any COVID-19 Response
Federal policymakers have started to consider how to address a serious economic downturn that could result from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. For example, the Trump Administration is pursuing a temporary payroll tax cut and tax deferrals for certain industries, even though the proposal would not provide effective fiscal stimulus, as the Center on Budget…
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Medicaid and COVID-19
One of Medicaid’s many strengths is its ability to help states respond to public health epidemics. Through Medicaid, federal funds are available on an open-ended basis to match state costs of immunizing, testing, diagnosing, and treating over 71 million low-income Americans in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease. Which is a good…
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State Leaders Advance Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy
We know that mental health issues can take root very early in life. Infants and young children can have diagnosable and treatable mental health disorders. However, with the right treatment, we can ameliorate the effects and prevent the more costly impacts and interventions that often result when mental health challenges go unaddressed. States are increasingly…
