Media Coverage
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CCF Director Mann Appointed by Obama Administration to Direct Medicaid and CHIP, Deputy Directors Alker, Guyer to Co-Direct CCF
Washington, D.C. – Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced today that Georgetown University Center for Children and Families Director Cindy Mann has been appointed Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (CMSO). CMSO oversees Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program…
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Not Working: Medicaid Contracts
How many reports does it take for West Virginia to realize that its 2-year-old Medicaid “fix” is broken? The most recent study is from the Institute for Health Policy Research at West Virginia University. Researchers found that tens of thousands of the neediest West Virginians are getting less medical care than they did before the…
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The Center for Children and Families Releases New Report on Medicaid’s Role in Health Care Reform
Washington– Medicaid, a cornerstone of the U.S. healthcare infrastructure, should be maintained, strengthened and integrated with other components of the health care system as part of health reform, according to a research report issued today by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. “Most reform plans, including those advanced by Candidate Obama, Senator Baucus,…
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Statement by Cindy Mann on the Obama Administration’s Rescission of the August 17th Directive
On February 4th, President Obama took an important step forward on behalf of children by directing the Department of Health and Human Services to rescind a directive issued by the Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 17, 2007. That directive sought to sharply limit state flexibility to set the income eligibility levels…
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Statement by Cindy Mann on Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Enactment of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act is a major step toward the goal of assuring that all children and adults have access to quality, affordable healthcare. As America’s families continue to face rising healthcare costs and confront the possibility of unemployment during this economic turmoil, it is essential that we strengthen…
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Statement by Cindy Mann on Senate Approval of SCHIP Reauthorization
“I want to commend Senate Majority Leader Reid, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus and the U.S. Senate for taking very positive action on behalf of America’s uninsured families. As unemployment rises and more and more families lose access to affordable healthcare coverage, it is essential that the federal government take action. During this economic turmoil,…
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Growing Need for Medicaid Strains States
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Medicaid rolls are surging, by unprecedented rates in some states, as the recession tightens its grip on the economy and Americans lose their employer-sponsored health coverage along with their jobs. In a number of states, Medicaid populations grew by 5 percent to 10 percent in the last 12 months and, in many,…
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Statement by Cindy Mann on House Approval of SCHIP Reauthorization
“I want to commend Speaker Pelosi and the U.S. House of Representatives for taking very positive action on behalf of America’s uninsured families as a first item of business in the new Congress. As unemployment rises and more and more families lose access to affordable healthcare coverage, it is essential that the federal government take…
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Proposed RI Medicaid Plan May Mean Service Changes
State lawmakers faced with a massive budget crisis will soon debate a first-in-the-nation plan to change Rhode Island’s Medicaid system, a proposal that would steer hundreds of elderly people away from nursing homes and reduce medical services for the poor. Gov. Don Carcieri, a Republican, reached the deal with President George W. Bush’s administration Friday,…
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Necessary Medicine?
President-elect Barack Obama placed a heavy bet last week that the recession-wracked country he is about to inherit has finally reached its tipping point on health care. It might seem counter-intuitive to gamble that political and economic forces would converge at such a low point after more than half a century of failure. The Treasury…
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States Ask Feds for Health Care Help
In Utah, lawmakers have ended some physical therapy, vision and hearing services offered under Medicaid, the national health insurance program that serves 59 million needy. Nevada has capped enrollment in its state children’s health insurance program (SCHIP). California, looking at a potential budget hole of more than $28 billion, is also considering freezing enrollment in…
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University Study on Health Care Losses Includes Martinsville Family
A Martinsville man and his family were highlighted in a recent Georgetown University study on the impact of the growing economic crisis on children’s health care. Greg Secrest of Martinsville worked at American of Martinsville for 10 years before he lost his job Aug. 29 due to the company’s move of production overseas. Not only…
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Georgetown Report Finds Progress on Children’s Health Care Coverage Threatened by Economy
Washington — Ten years of progress on children’s health care coverage is threatened by increasing unemployment, declining state revenues, and a growing affordability gap between family income and the cost of healthcare coverage, according to a report released today by the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. “When a parent…
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Georgetown CCF Director Comments on Senator Baucus’s Call to Action: Health Reform 2009
I want to commend Senator Baucus for his leadership in moving the debate forward on health reform. As unemployment rises and more and more families lose access to affordable healthcare coverage, it is essential that the federal government take action. Senator Baucus’s proposal wisely builds upon key public programs such as Medicaid and the State…
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Statement on President Bush’s Veto of the SCHIP Reauthorization Bill
Cindy Mann, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, issued the following statement on President Bush’s veto of legislation reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP): President Bush’s veto of legislation to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program places political ideology above the urgent need to ensure that children…
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Expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Helps Low-Income, Uninsured Children the Most
WASHINGTON – The Center for Children and Families has released new data on the enrollment experiences of four states that expanded eligibility for their State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in a fact sheet entitled, Putting Out the Welcome Mat: Implications of Coverage Expansions for Already-Eligible Children. The new data indicate that half to two-thirds…
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R.I. Seeks Limits on Medicaid Spending
Facing a severe budget shortfall, Rhode Island officials areseeking unprecedented authority to rein in Medicaid spending in a move that has alarmed Democrats in Congress and advocates for the poor. The plan outlined by Rhode Island officials could save the state millions of dollars, but critics say it would limit access to nursing homes, charge…
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Health Insurance Gains, Losses Balance Out
U.S. census figures released Tuesday show the number of people without health insurance decreased for the first time since 2001, but that drop was offset by a similar-size increase among those who rely on government health programs. The number of uninsured declined to 45.7 million in 2007 from 47 million a year earlier, according to…
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Georgetown CCF Director Comments on the New Census Data on Uninsured Children
In 2007, the number of uninsured children fell by 500,000 to 8.1 million, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. This progress is a testament to the effectiveness of public programs, which were largely responsible for this movement, and to the strong support nationwide for covering children. In 2006 and…
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Georgetown CCF Director Comments on CMS’s Recent August 17 Directive Announcement
Statement by Cindy Mann, Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute Regarding CMS’s Recent August 17th Directive Announcement The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will, at this time, not take compliance action under the August 17th Directive against the states that…