Media Coverage
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Arizona Among National Leaders In Uninsured Kids
KJZZ November 19, 2013 By Mark Brodie A new report from a national health policy center shows Arizona has among the highest rates of uninsured kids in the country. The Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute found the rate of uninsured children is declining nationwide. Last year, it was…
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Children’s Coverage on the Eve of the Affordable Care Act
Huffington Post November 19, 2013 By Joan Alker, Here’s a good news story on health coverage that the public is largely unaware of. The number of uninsured children continues to decline to historic lows – a remarkable accomplishment given the high childhood poverty rate and tough economic times. Yet a majority of Americans are unaware…
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WV Kids Helped By Their Parents Getting Health-Care Coverage
Public News Service November 14, 2013 By Dan Heyman, CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Almost all West Virginia children have health care coverage, but many of their parents don’t, especially in working families. The good news is that if the parents can get insurance, it could actually help the health of the children. Renate Poer, director of…
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147,000 children across Pa. found to lack health insurance
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 4, 2013 By Kate Giammarise HARRISBURG — More than 147,000 children in Pennsylvania lack health insurance, according to a recent study, despite the commonwealth’s goal of ensuring coverage for all kids. Between private insurance, Medicaid for kids from low-income families and the Children’s Health Insurance Program — which covers children whose families…
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If Reducing the Uninsured Rate is the Goal, Why All the Fuss About Medicaid Enrollment?
Huffington Post November 3, 2013 By Joan Alker, I was going to write this blog earlier in the week but got waylaid by meetings, meetings and more meetings! Today I wake up and see a front-page story in the Washington Post:Medicaid Tops Private Plans in Tallies of New Sign-Ups. It’s not very often that you…
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Are Federal Call Centers Up To The Task Of Enrolling Millions In Health Plans?
Kaiser Health News October 24, 2013 By Phil Galewitz HARTFORD, Conn. — An elderly man calls to ask if the land he owns will count as income to qualify for health coverage through Medicaid. A legal immigrant asks if she can sign up for a health plan through the state’s online insurance marketplace. A broker…
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Gov. Pat McCrory says Medicaid in N.C. may expand after all
News & Record October 21, 2013 By Travis Fain GREENSBORO — Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday that North Carolina may have to expand its Medicaid health insurance program, saying a back door in the federal health care overhaul is forcing his hand. Experts question his logic, though changes in the law give hospitals more power to…
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LePage signals interest in Medicaid expansion compromise
Portland Press Herald October 20, 2013 By Joe Lawlore LEGISLATORS ARE STARTING TO DISCUSS STATE-DESIGNED ALTERNATIVES. While Gov. Paul LePage and Democratic lawmakers have sparred over Medicaid expansion for more than a year, a potential compromise could be on the horizon, with the governor now signaling a willingness to consider ideas currently bearing fruit in…
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Medicaid’s most vulnerable need protection, experts find
Gainesville Sun October 11, 2013 By Kristine Crane Florida’s most vulnerable Medicaid patients are about to be moved into commercial HMOs as part of the last leg of the state’s Medicaid reform that began nearly a decade ago. As this unfolds, Georgetown University researchers who have been studying Florida’s Medicaid program say that the process…
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Some families left out in the cold by Obamacare
CNNMoney October 10, 2013 By Tami Luhby Obamacare is designed to make health care affordable for everyone, but several million families could get caught in a loophole in the law that leaves them out in the cold. Those families will find themselves ineligible for Obamacare subsidies to buy their own insurance on the state-based exchanges,…
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Insurers look for workarounds to the Affordable Care Act
Marketplace October 8, 2013 by Dan Gornstein “The galaxy destroying dark force known as Obamacare was unleashed on an unsuspecting, yet still trusting world,” Stewart riffed in his character’s over-the-top style. “How did it go? Just as I thought, Obamacare has exploded the chest cavities of millions of Americans.” Actually, it’s more like millions of…
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Study calls for monitoring of Medicaid managed care companies
KHI News Service October 9, 2013 By Jim McLean WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kansas legislators charged with overseeing the state’s KanCare program may find a new Florida study helpful. The study, done by researchers at Georgetown University, suggests that individuals and organizations with a stake in that state’s Medicaid program closely monitor the transition to managed care. “There…
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Keep Eye on Medicaid Plans: Report
Health News Florida October 8, 2013 By Carol Gentry A research team that has been monitoring Florida’s “Medicaid Reform” movement for almost a decade is calling for vigilance as the last patients – those who are sickest and most at risk – are transferred into commercial HMOs. The authors noted with approval that federal health…
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Obama Urges Patience With Exchange Glitches; Fixes Made
California Healthline October 7, 2013 President Obama in an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday acknowledged glitches in the federally operated online exchanges, but urged consumers not to “give up” in their attempts to obtain coverage through the portal, the New York Times reports. Obama said the high amount of traffic on the websites “shows that people really need and…
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Obamacare glitches give paper applications new life
Politico October 7, 2013 By Jason Millman Obamacare is supposed to be a 21st-century shopping experience, but the health law can’t escape living in an older paper world. One of President Barack Obama’s favorite claims about his health law is that finding coverage is as easy as going online to buy a plane ticket. That’s…
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Arkansas Leads Way on Alternate Route for Medicaid Expansion
ABC News October 4, 2013 By Gillian Mohney With only a few months to go until the Affordable Care Act is fully up and running, many states remain on the fence about expanding Medicaid, the U.S. health program that provides medical coverage to low-income individuals and families. But the state of Arkansas has provided an…
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Reform Update: Training lagging for counselors to help consumers use exchanges
Modern Healthcare October 3, 2013 By Steven Ross Johnson Healthcare providers and community organizations across the country that have been designated as certified application counselors to help consumers enroll in health plans on the new state health insurance exchanges are still waiting for their staff to receive certification because of delays by state and federal officials. “People…
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Reform Update: CMS’ approval of Ark. Medicaid expansion plan bodes well for other states
Modern Healthcare October 1, 2013 By Steven Ross Johnson The Obama administration’s approval last week of Arkansas’ plan to expand health coverage for low-income residents under the federal healthcare reform law bodes well for several Republican-led states looking to implement their own alternative models for expanding Medicaid. Last week, the CMS granted Arkansas a Medicaid Section 1115…
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Key date for new health exchange is Dec. 15
Associated Press September 29, 2013 By Scott Bauer The new online exchange where people can buyhealth insurance opens Tuesday, but advocates for Wisconsin residents who will be shopping for coverage say Dec. 15, not Oct. 1, is the date that most concerns them. That’s the cutoff for coverage beginning in January. The date is especially important…
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Federal Officials Give Arkansas Medicaid Waiver
Federal Officials Give Arkansas Medicaid Waiver September 27, 2013 By Rebecca Adams Arkansas on Friday became the first state to get federal permission to require adults on Medicaid to get their medical care through the health care law’s marketplaces. It’s a move that could reinvigorate conversations in some other states that have considered asking the…