Media Coverage
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Arizona Moving Ahead with Proposal to Add AHCCCS Work Requirements
Arizona Daily Star By: Stephanie Innes Arizona could become one of the first states in the country to impose work requirements and five-year lifetime limits on “able-bodied” adult enrollees in Medicaid. Arizona’s request to the federal government to tighten its Medicaid eligibility has been delayed by more than five months, but state officials say they…
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Affordable Care Act: What Comes next?
Green Bay Press-Gazette By: Sara Finger and Jon Peacock Last month, the health care advocates and the American people won a tremendous victory when the U.S. Senate voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The dramatic Senate vote reflected the public’s overwhelming opposition to repealing the ACA. In fact, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation…
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Hurricanes to Drain Children’s Health Insurance Funds
Bloomberg By: Alex Ruoff The hurricanes battering Gulf states will tax public insurance systems for children there, underscoring the need for Congress to extend funding for the programs soon, researchers and advocates told reporters Sept. 8. … Natural disasters run up hospital bills for people on public insurance programs and increase enrollment in programs like…
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Health Insurance Program for Pennsylvania Kids Must Get Federal Funding by the End of September
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette By Kate Giammarise Federal funding for a program that provides health insurance for 176,000 children in Pennsylvania will expire at the end of September unless Congress acts to extend it. The Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, needs to be re-funded by Congress every few years, but advocates say they are concerned…
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Health Care Leaders Urge Congress to Continue Funding CHIP
The Register-Herald By: Wendy Holdren With federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) set to expire Sept. 30, health care policy experts at the Children’s Health Policy Summit shared Thursday the importance of renewing the program, especially for children in West Virginia. Of the 97 percent of children in West Virginia who are…
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Will Congress Continue Health Care For 9 Million Children?
Kaiser Health News By: Phil Galewitz A popular federal-state program that provides health coverage to millions of children in lower- and middle-class families is up for renewal Sept. 30. But with a deeply divided Congress, some health advocates fear that the Children’s Health Insurance Program could be in jeopardy or that conservative lawmakers will seek…
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To Insure More Poor Children, It Helps If Parents Are On Medicaid
Kaiser Health News By: Shefali Luthra Efforts by Republican lawmakers to scale back Medicaid enrollment could undercut an aspect of the program that has widespread bipartisan appeal — covering more children, research published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs suggests. The study focuses on the impact of Medicaid’s “welcome-mat” effect — a term used to…
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Divisions Over Obamacare Persist In Congress
Opposing Views By: Jordan Smith As Congress returns to work following the August recess, partisan divisions over the Affordable Care Act continue to impact health care policy. Some have suggested the bad blood created during the Republicans’ failed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, may hinder bipartisan progress on items…
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Texans Lucky Gov. Abbott Didn’t Get Wish For Medicaid Block Grant, Funding Cap Critics Say
Inside Health Policy Hurricane Harvey is the kind of natural disaster opponents of Medicaid funding caps warned about, and they say it would be much more difficult to recover from Harvey if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) got his wish for a Medicaid block grant. … “Gov. Abbott has been a proponent of Medicaid block…
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Experts: States can adjust to lower CHIP match if they have time to prepare
Modern Healthcare By Mara Lee Keeping the enhanced match that was added to CHIP as part of the Affordable Care Act is unlikely to be the sticking point for a bipartisan deal, a senior House Republican aide said. … Kelly Whitener, associate professor of the practice at Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said…
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Critics: Iowa’s Stopgap Insurance Plan Would Hurt Low-Income, Seniors
Public News Service DES MOINES, Iowa – A stopgap insurance plan presented this week to federal officials by Iowa’s insurance commissioner needs to be re-worked to better protect low-income and older Iowans, according to the Child & Family Policy Center. …. Mary Nelle Trefz, a health policy associate with the center, notes that the impetus…
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Kelly Whitener on the Children’s Health Insurance Program
CSPAN Video: Professor Kelly Whitener talked about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). View the video here.
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Oklahoma CHIP Faces Trouble If Congress Can’t Pass Extension
The Oklahoman By Meg Wingerter Oklahoma City — Oklahoma pediatricians are urging Congress to quickly reauthorize a health insurance program for children before it expires in September potentially costing the state $49 million. … States receive a federal block grant and have some latitude in running their CHIP programs, so long as they commit their…
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Law Firm Investigating Florida Children’s Insurance Scandal
Insurance Business America By Ryan Smith The investigation is being undertaken by the Pomerantz Law Firm on behalf of investors in UnitedHealth Group. The law firm is examining the insurer after a CNN.com report alleged that state health officials in Florida removed thousands of sick children from Children’s Medical Services (CMS) – a part of…
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Commentary: Rural hospitals are vanishing; keep Medicaid in Texas
Austin American Statesman By Michael Williams First, there was hope for people in rural communities needing health care. As part of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid was expanded in 31 states and the District of Columbia, offering new coverage to millions and renewed hope for rural hospitals struggling to remain financially viable — many serving…
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Telehealth — A “Glimmer of Hope” on Health Care Front
New America Media By Eric Licas ORANGE, Calif. — Lawmakers, medical professionals and other advocates for accessible health care say technology that allows providers to remotely see patients will dramatically improve the availability of medical services. … Removing language barriers allows for more efficient communication between doctors and patients that can lead to more effective…
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Pediatricians Say Florida Hurt Sick Kids To Help Big GOP Donors
CNN Health By Elizabeth Cohen and Katherine Grise Like nearly half of all children in Florida, LJ is on Medicaid, which has several types of insurance plans. The state had switched LJ to a new plan, and his surgeons didn’t take it. … “These are the sickest and most vulnerable kids, and (changing their insurance)…
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Congressional Plate Full, Womack Says
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette By Doug Thompson The U.S. House has until the end of September to pass a budget, a debt ceiling increase and a bevy of bills important to Arkansas, said Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers. … “Over half of the kids in the state receive benefits” from the program, said Marquita Little, health programs…
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Trading Kids’ Health for Political Favors?
MedPage Today Pediatricians in Florida and health experts elsewhere questioned whether politics played a role in the switching of 13,000 high-risk children from the state’s comprehensive Medicaid program to lesser plans that many physician don’t accept, CNN reported. … “These are the sickest and most vulnerable kids, and (changing their insurance) can mean life or death for…
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The Future of Health Care in California
Los Angeles Sentinel By Charlene Muhammad Experts and health care providers briefed ethnic media about the future of healthcare in California as the debate about the Trump Administration’s repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act continues. … Mayra Alvarez, president, The Children’s Partnership, which works to improve the lives of underprivileged children, noted that…