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Research & Reports

  • Rising Health Care Costs, Rising Underinsurance

    CCFadmin

    By Martha Heberlein Two studies just out in the September issue of Health Affairs highlight the troubles many face in affording health care coverage. The first study by researchers at the Commonwealth Fund found that over the past 7 years the number of people who had coverage year-round, but were considered “underinsured” rose by 80%. (The authors…

  • The Arizona KidsCare CHIP Enrollment Freeze: How Has it Impacted Enrollment and Families?

    CCFadmin

    On December 21, 2009, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona imposed an enrollment freeze in the state’s CHIP program, KidsCare. It is currently the only state in the country with a freeze in place. As of July 15, 2011, there were over 108,000 children on the waiting list for KidsCare coverage, which continues to grow at…

  • A Team Approach to Care

    Guest

    As policymakers across the country look to balance their budgets, some are turning to Medicaid, recycling the same harmful policies they’ve used year-after-year: eliminating coverage for vulnerable Americans, restricting critical benefits like prescription drug coverage, imposing premiums on those who can’t afford them, and slashing already-low provider reimbursement rates. Community Catalyst and Georgetown University Health…

  • Electronic Notification Helps Keep Utah Kids Connected to Coverage

    Guest

    By Barbara Munoz, Voices for Utah Children Although I am admittedly behind the curve a bit, I am proud to say I finally own a smart phone. The level of functionality of this “phone” (let’s be honest, it’s a tiny computer) is astounding. I can check my email, my Facebook account, send out a “tweet”, purchase…

  • Momentum Builds as Diverse Group of States Receive Exchange Establishment Grants

    CCFadmin

    By Joe Touschner In addition to the package of proposed rules it released on August 12, HHS also announced the award of more than $185 million in grants to help states develop their exchanges.  The federal funds will support state efforts to strengthen information technology systems, analyze insurance markets, develop consumer assistance capacity, and design…

  • New Transparency Rules Will Help Consumers Compare Health Insurance Plans

    Sabrina Corlette

    We got some good news last week from the Administration – new rules for individual and group health plans that require them to disclose critical information about their benefits and out-of-pocket costs. For many of us, this is sort of “ho-hum” news because our employer pretty much makes the decisions about what health plan to…

  • Outreach Push Continues to Cover Eligible Children in Medicaid and CHIP

    Tricia Brooks

    In one of those competitions where you wish all the teams could win, CMS was limited to choosing the best of the best in a second round of $40 million in grants for Medicaid and CHIP outreach, enrollment and retention activities. In announcing the grants, friends at CMS pointed to the olympic success in Oregon as strong…

  • Fulfilling the Promise of 2014: Aligning and Simplifying Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment for Children and Parents

    Tricia Brooks

    Simplification and alignment of policies for children in Medicaid and CHIP have helped states fill the gap in private insurance and achieve record levels of coverage for 90% of our nation’s children. These lessons are carried forward in the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of coverage through Medicaid and the Exchanges. The ACA envision a customer-friendly,…

  • ACA Propels States to Adopt Best Practices in Simplification and Alignment

    CCFadmin

    and Jennifer Mezey, National Women’s Law Center Simplification and alignment of policies for children in Medicaid and CHIP have helped states fill the gap in private insurance and achieve record levels of coverage for 90% of our nation’s children. These lessons are carried forward in the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) expansion of coverage through Medicaid…

  • Affordable Care Act Preventive Services are Good News for Women and Children

    Guest

    By Jennifer Mezey, National Women’s Law Center In a significant victory for women and girls, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that all new insurance plans would be required to cover a wide range of preventive services aimed at women’s health – without cost sharing — starting in the first…

  • Winners and Losers in State Budget Debates

    CCFadmin

    By Tara Mancini I recently blogged about the way Medicaid has been affected in state budgets and concluded that while the program may incur more cuts, the future outlook is somewhat hopeful due to expected decreases in enrollment and rebounding state revenues.  However, an in depth analysis on state budget cuts by the Center on…

  • Health Reform is Working – Proof is in the Family Stories

    Guest

    By Jeff Tieman, Catholic Health Association Bryce Dixon, a 24-year old dairy farmer in Cosby, Missouri near the Kansas border, suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that primarily affects the spine. This condition causes debilitating swelling of the joints and feet, as well as autoimmune deficiencies. Bryce requires twice monthly injections of a…

  • Just Getting Started…

    CCFadmin

    By Jocelyn Guyer As more details emerge on the debt ceiling deal, one thing is becoming more and more clear – we are just getting started.  In the months and years ahead, we can expect to see a continuation of the deeply ideological debate over the role of government in the United States that has…

  • Time Is Ripe for Advocates to Weigh In on Exchanges

    Guest

    By Joel Ferber, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri One of the most important ways that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will improve insurance coverage for Americans is through the development of state health insurance exchanges.  So far in 2011, ten states have enacted legislation to set up a state-based exchange while eight others have passed…

  • Debt-Ceiling Compromise Kicks Medicaid Fight Down the Road

    Guest

    By Katherine Howitt, Community Catalyst Yesterday, the president signed a bill that ended months of intense negotiations over lifting the country’s debt-ceiling. But for the fate of Medicaid – and the millions of seniors, people living with disabilities, and low-income children who rely on the program – the negotiations are just beginning. What’s the deal? In…

  • National Children’s Groups Express Concerns About Utah’s Waiver Request

    CCFadmin

    By Joe Touschner We’ve pointed out the flaws in Utah’s request for a Medicaid waiver in a previous blog post But we wanted to call your attention to them once again since today we submitted a letter to federal officials voicing the concerns of many national groups. Thanks to all of you who joined us in…

  • GAO Looks At Access to Care for Children Covered by Medicaid & CHIP

    CCFadmin

    By Wesley Prater The GAO recently released a report on access to care for children covered by Medicaid and CHIP.  The researchers surveyed specialty care physicians and rural and urban area primary care physicians to examine Medicaid and CHIP enrolled children’s access to both primary and specialty care.  The GAO report, required under CHIPRA, also looked…

  • First Focus Calls for Greater Investment in Children at Children’s Budget Summit

    Guest

    (Editor’s Note: This week, more than 300 children’s advocates, White House staff, Members of Congress, and researchers gathered for the third national Children’s Budget Summit hosted by First Focus.  The summit drew attention to the overall declining share of the federal budget dedicated to programs that benefit children, at a time when children need support more…

  • Some Good News in a Tough Year: Oregon’s Child Un-Insurance Rate Cut in Half

    Guest

    By Robin Christian, Children First for Oregon In this time of economic uncertainty and political division, last week brought us some welcome good news in Oregon. According to the Oregon Health Authority, the number of uninsured children has dropped dramatically in less than two years – from 11.3% to 5.6% – thanks to the affordable,…

  • Keeping on Track: California Continues to Move Forward on Health Insurance Exchange

    Guest

    (Editor’s Note: In an effort to keep our readers up to speed on what’s happening on the development of state-based health insurance exchanges, we are checking in periodically with states that are moving forward.  This month, we visit our friends in sunny California.) By Nicette Short (Children Now) and Kathleen Hamilton (The Children’s Partnership) on…