Say Ahhh!
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More Evidence that Medicaid and CHIP offer Better Coverage Options for America’s Children
Two complementary studies published in the August 2014 issue of Health Affairs arrived at similar conclusions regarding the cost of health care for low-income kids. Low-income children covered by Medicaid and CHIP pay significantly lower premiums than children with employer-sponsored coverage and subsequently face far fewer cost barriers to coverage and care. Background: Premium Tax Credits…
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Open 24/7, Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Gains Top 7.2 Million
The June Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Report, released last week by CMS, shows that 7.2 million more people are now covered by Medicaid and CHIP than before the beginning of open enrollment last October. It’s not surprising that states expanding Medicaid have seen an 18.5 percent increase in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment, while those opting…
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Urban Institute/RWJF Report: Reluctant States not Expanding Medicaid Hurt State Budgets, Hospitals and Uninsured
A new report from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation lays out in detail the consequences to the twenty-four states so far not expanding Medicaid. Earlier analyses have detailed some of the financial hit states take by refusing the new federal Medicaid funding, but this new report takes a much more comprehensive…
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Navigator Resource Guide Helps Answer Consumers’ Questions about Health Insurance & Coverage
We at CHIR and CCF continue to field questions from Navigators and assisters as part of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded project to provide technical assistance and resources to assisters of all stripes. Though Open Enrollment is a distant memory and folks are gearing up for round 2 later this year, consumers continue to turn…
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Congress and States Work to Extend ACA’s Medicaid Primary Care Bump
By Sophia Duong A hot topic recently has been the extension of the Medicaid payment rate increases for primary care services. The ACA required states to reimburse primary care physicians who treat Medicaid beneficiaries at the higher Medicare rate for 2013 and 2014. The rate bump has garnered large support from physicians and hospitals, and…
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Happy Anniversary CHIP – Renewing Commitment to Kids’ Coverage Would be a Great Gift
Today marks the 17th anniversary of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). I can think of no better way to commemorate the day than to encourage everyone to reach out to uninsured children they know and help connect them with coverage. This video reminds us that CHIP and Medicaid enrollment are open all year so…
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No Welcome Mat for Kids in Wisconsin
By Jon Peacock, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Advocates Seek DHS Help in Understanding What’s Causing a BadgerCare Decline The BadgerCare changes that Wisconsin put into effect this year have had a surprising and worrisome effect. Over the last 9 months, the total number of children in BadgerCare and Transitional Medicaid has been falling, at a…
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Slow but Steady Rise in Access to Pediatric Dental Care
By Sophia Duong Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease for children, in large part due to children’s lack of dental care. However, recent data shows that more kids are ‘saying ahhh’ at the dentist these days. In a previous blog post, Tricia Brooks discussed the increased state reporting on the CHIPRA health quality…
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“Peace of Mind”: professional dancers, the ACA, and affordable coverage
Professional dancers push their bodies for years to meet the physical demands of their work, which makes access to health insurance a high priority for these performing artists. A recent Kaiser Health News article examined the issue of health insurance affordability and access through the lens of a ballet dancer, highlighting the peace of mind…
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The Tax Rules that Health Care Assisters Need to Know
By January Angeles, Center of Budget and Policy Priorities “Navigators” and others helping people apply for health coverage need to understand basic tax filing rules because eligibility for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and premium tax credits for coverage bought through federal and state Marketplaces is based on Internal Revenue Code definitions of…
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Rep. Pallone and Rep. Waxman Introduce House Bill to Extend CHIP Funding
The conversation about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) continues to take shape on the Hill. In addition to this week’s request to governors, last month Sen. Rockefeller introduced a bill to extend CHIP funds. Today Rep. Pallone and Rep. Waxman, co-sponsors of the original CHIP bill in 1997, introduced a companion…
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Advocates Urge HHS to Improve Enrollment for Immigrant Families
Today, CCF joined more than 140 national and state organizations asking Secretary of Health and Human Services Burwell to work expeditiously to remove barriers that make it difficult for eligible immigrant and mixed status families to obtain health coverage. The letter focuses on 5 serious barriers that need to be resolved so that eligible individuals…
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Child Emergency Room Visits as a Window into the Larger Landscape of Child’s Health Coverage
By Naomi Stark, Georgetown CCF Research Assistant The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) recently published a report on Emergency Room (ER) use among children in the U.S. using data gathered from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Authors explored the relationship of child coverage type (Private, Medicaid and Uninsured) to the frequency…
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Congressional Leaders Ask Governors for Input on CHIP’s Future
As we continue to consider the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), one question comes up fairly regularly: Where do state officials stand on the issue? Child advocates, of course, are united in their support for continuing CHIP for the foreseeable future to ensure we don’t end up with more uninsured children or…
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All Enrollees Should Contact the Marketplace at Renewal
In recent guidance, CMS revealed its plan for the first round of financial eligibility redeterminations and marketplace plan renewals for the millions of people who enrolled in a qualified health plan (QHP) through Healthcare.Gov. A companion notice of proposed rulemaking would provide both the federal and state-based marketplaces additional flexibility as their systems evolve and mature.…
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Don’t Forget this Chart When Reading About Ambitious State Medicaid Expansion and Reform Plans
As states move to expand Medicaid across the country, there is plenty of discussion about new and innovative ways to run state Medicaid programs. There is merit (and perhaps cost savings) in trying out new ways to coordinate and deliver care in our health system. In fact, more federal funding was announced last week to…
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Comparing CHIP with Marketplace Coverage
By Joe Touschner Since it was adopted more than 15 years ago, CHIP has brought quality, affordable coverage to millions of children whose families earn too much to enroll in Medicaid. This year, with marketplaces now up and running, a new coverage option is available for many families in the same income range—qualified health plans…
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Kids Count Data Book Documents Important Gains in Health Coverage for Kids & Uncovers Health Disparities for Some
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently published the 25th edition of their KIDS COUNT Data Book, which provides comprehensive information on the status of children’s well-being in the United States. In addition to children’s health status, the Data Book reports on child wellness in three other domains including economic well-being, education, and family and community.…
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Grace Periods for Failing to Pay Insurance Premiums: What Consumers Need to Know
On July 16, the Obama Administration issued guidance for insurers in the federally facilitated marketplaces (FFMs), clarifying a requirement to provide policyholders receiving premium subsidies with a grace period of up to 90 days if they fail to pay their premiums. How does the grace period work? Under federal rules, insurance companies participating on the FFMs can drop policyholders…
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ACA Days of Summer
By Sandy Ahn, Center on Health Insurance Reforms Ahhh, summer. Baseball. Watermelon. Court decisions on Obamacare. Summer seems to be the season for head scratching court decisions about one of the most politically divisive laws in the last decade, if not the 21st century. It was only two summers ago that the Supreme Court opinion in NFIB v.…