(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 […]
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, […]
(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 […]
By Wesley Prater We have been hearing that more states are looking to use copayments to deter non-emergency use of the emergency room for low-income families, so it’s probably a good idea to discuss what the federal rules are and how some states have already been dealing with this issue. In an effort to try […]
By Martha Heberlein The last time you heard from me on state budgets, I was on my soapbox about how the NASBO numbers are frequently taken out of context. For those of you who have missed my ongoing exasperation, here’s a quick recap. When citing statistics about Medicaid in state budgets, it is often misleadingly […]
By Tara Mancini As our readers know, Medicaid is a public insurance program financed jointly by states and the federal government to assist low-income individuals and families in obtaining health insurance. Using state specific formulas known as FMAP, the federal government provides at least $1 in matching funds for every $1 spent by states. During […]
