Research & Reports
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Congress Should Build On What Works by Looking to CHIP & Medicaid in Health Reform
By Joe Touschner “Fix what’s broken and build on what works.” It’s President Obama’s mantra for health reform. It may be hard to see how Congress will accomplish that when so far we’ve only seen proposals that would eliminate (as we know it) a program that works well–CHIP–and move the children it covers to Medicaid…
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Will Reconciliation Become the Vehicle for Health Reform?
Back in the spring, there was a lot of talk about whether reconciliation could be used as a vehicle to get health reform through Congress (particularly the Senate). The FY 2010 budget resolution ultimately left the option open for Congress to use reconciliation for health reform if an agreement couldn’t be reached by October 15th.…
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Health Reform: Good for Mothers, Good for Families
Julia Kaye, Health Policy Associate, National Women’s Law Center There is a common misconception that all low-income people–or, at least, all poor parents–are eligible for Medicaid. It may derive from a mistaken comparison with Medicare; an assumption that just as Medicare covers all people above a certain age, Medicaid must cover all people below a…
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Improving Enrollment and Retention in Medicaid and CHIP: Federal Options for a Changing Landscape
With the new options in CHIPRA, a new Administration in Washington, and the potential for health care reform on the horizon, the time is right to highlight the most promising federal actions that would close these remaining coverage gaps for uninsured children and adults. This report identifies new strategies as well as some variations in…
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The Future of CHIP – What if it Goes Away?
By Jocelyn Guyer It is becoming increasingly clear that Congress may well dismantle the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of broader health reform. Children and their families have much to gain in health reform, as my colleagues and I have written about elsewhere, but this is a change worthy of its own…
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Passes Health Reform Bill: Highlights for Children and Families
Friday evening the Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act. The bill included the amendments and changes I described in my Friday post, including those designed to secure the votes of some of the “Blue Dog” Democrats on the committee without alienating progressive members. The House will now merge this…
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Passes Health Reform Bill: Highlights for Children and Families
This week there was a lot of back-and-forth on health reform as both the House and Senate attempted to get a bill to the floor before the now infamous August recess (which for those of you not up on the Congressional calendar is August 1st to September 8th in the House and August 10th to…
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Where are the Parents in Health Reform?
By Martha Heberlein These are uncertain times for children and their families – the threat of job and health insurance losses haunt many. Health reform could provide the peace of mind families need, but it is important to keep in mind that children are just one piece of the family puzzle. Parents must not be…
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More than a Dozen States are Moving Forward On Children’s Health Coverage, As California Moves Backward on Covering Uninsured Children, Update
By Jocelyn Guyer A quick addendum… It has been only a few hours since we posted our statement on California’s decision to shut down new enrollment into its Children’s Health Insurance Program even as most states have found ways to maintain or even strengthen their coverage of children. In the interim, some more bad news…
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More than a Dozen States are Moving Forward On Children’s Health Coverage, As California Moves Backward on Covering Uninsured Children
By Jocelyn Guyer During tough budget times, most states have maintained their commitment to covering uninsured children. At least eighteen states have even further strengthened coverage for uninsured children, despite budget problems, as the recession has increased the need. While many states have prioritized covering uninsured children, California lawmakers voted to deny coverage to nearly…
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Affordability is Key for Health Reform
By Sara Gagné-Holmes, Executive Director of Maine Equal Justice Partners In drafting a national plan, Washington should follow Maine’s lead. In the health care debate, most agree that costs will not be controlled until everyone is covered and able to access the right care, including preventive care and management of chronic illnesses, at the right…
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House Tri-Committee Health Reform Bill
It was another eventful week for health reform. You only have to turn on CNN or read the blogs for the political ins and outs. On perhaps the less sexy side of things, we have been busy reading the House’s new 1,018 page health reform bill, the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. The…
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An Update on Health Reform and Kids
By Joe Touschner This week has been a reminder of both the promise and peril of health reform–we have seen real progress but also real signs that the whole initiative could falter. Health reform legislation passed two committees in the House–Ways and Means and Education and Labor, but there remains serious doubt about whether it…
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Even in tough times, states can do the right thing for kids.
Jill Beckwith and Jessica Mack, Policy Analysts, Rhode Island Kids Count Rhode Island has been a leader in making sure that children have health insurance, with 94% of our kids covered. Most are covered through employer-sponsored insurance, and about one-third through RIte Care, our state’s Medicaid managed care program for children and families. Like so…
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An Overview of the CHIPRA Outreach and Enrollment Grants
On July 6, 2009, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Medicaid Director Cindy Mann announced a request for a first round of outreach grant proposals funded through CHIPRA. This brief provides an overview of the grants and the requirements for applicants. This brief is part of a series that puts a spotlight on specific provisions of…
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Health Reform & Budget Reconciliation – It’s not as simple as it seems!
Edwin Park, Senior Fellow, Center of Budget and Policy Priorities Even as each day brings new details about House and Senate health reform legislation and we all gird ourselves for the race to pass health legislation in each chamber before the August recess, a question might be lingering in the back of your mind: what…
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The Tri-Committee Health Reform Bill: Implications for Children
By Jocelyn Guyer On Friday, almost two weeks ago now, the three major committees in the House with jurisdiction over health reform put out a draft legislative proposal, known as “The Tri-Committee bill.” We’ve now read the 852-page document a few times, and think it would make giant strides in providing access to coverage to…
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Iowa Expands Health Coverage for Children
Carrie Fitzgerald, Senior Health Policy Associate, Child & Family Policy Center, Iowa Liz Arjun has blogged about the fact that CHIPRA has encouraged many states to move forward on health coverage for children despite facing difficult budgetary climates. We have posted guest blogs from children’s health coverage experts in Colorado, Kansas and Oregon, a…
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Children’s Special Health Care Needs Can Bankrupt Families
Meg Comeau, Project Director for the Catalyst Center, Boston University School of Public Health As policymakers consider health reform, they will need to consider the needs of families raising children with special health care needs. These families are not only hit hard in the pocketbook, they face overwhelming bureaucratic obstacles to coverage. We asked…
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Cost Sharing – What is Affordable in Health Reform?
By Martha Heberlein As the health reform debate continues to ramp up, questions of what is affordable and how much families should contribute still remain. Perhaps a look at the research could shed some light on the answers. A recent study in Health Affairs by Tom Selden, Jenny Kenney, and colleagues looks at cost sharing…