California
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Filling Budget Gaps in Medicaid
With the opening of state legislative sessions, we are beginning to see how states are proposing to deal with ongoing shortfalls in state revenues coupled with the loss of additional federal financial support for Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). There is no dispute that states will continue to face difficult budget…
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Holding Steady, Looking Ahead: Annual Findings of a 50-State Survey of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010-2011
Over the past year, as the nation’s attention was focused on the country’s economic problems and the debate over the passage of broader health care reform, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) continued to play their vital role of providing coverage to millions of people who otherwise lack affordable coverage options. In 2010,…
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Insurers Revisit Decision to Abandon Child-Only Policies in California
By Jocelyn Guyer At CCF, things are starting to get very quiet as the Holiday Break approaches and I hadn’t planned on doing any more blogs this week, but this story from the Los Angeles Times is well worth highlighting. As a result of the fantastic work of California advocates and their allies in state government,…
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Rate Review: States Can Help Make Health Insurance More Affordable
Thirty-nine percent increase in California. Fifty-six percent increase in Michigan. Forty-seven percent increase in Connecticut. Twenty-one percent increase in New Mexico. In recent years consumers have faced unprecedented hikes in their health insurance premiums. In many cases, these hikes are driven by the increasing costs of medical care. But what happens when an insurance company…
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Washington State Insurance Commissioner Stands Up for Kids
“They can’t say children, just because of their age, can’t be insured. So today I am ordering Regence to once more offer insurance coverage for children.” With those words, Washington State’s Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler, stood up for children and ordered Regence Blue Shield to “cease and desist” from eliminating its child-only policies. Regence is one…
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Medicaid and CHIP Don’t Exclude Sick Kids
As states continue to grapple with insurance companies ceasing to write child-only insurance policies now that they are required to cover kids with pre-existing conditions, we are reminded of one simple fact – Medicaid and CHIP don’t exclude sick kids. These cost-effective public programs have long been a lifeline for low-income children, and for children…
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In Sickness and in Health: Are Insurers Breaking their Vow to Cover Kids with Pre-existing Conditions?
The wedding date for most provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may be January 1, 2014 but we’re celebrating the engagement tomorrow, September 23, 2010, when a number of insurance market reforms go into effect for new plans. These early wins for children and families include the end of insurance industry discrimination against children with…
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California is Blazing a Trail on Establishing Health Insurance Exchange Under ACA
By Mike Odeh (Children Now) and Kristen Golden Testa (The Children’s Partnership) with the 100% Campaign And we’re off! Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is officially underway! Less than six months after Congress passed the ACA, California has blazed the trail as the first state in the nation to create a statewide Health Insurance…
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Children in Health Reform: Perspective from a California Leader
Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President, The Children’s Partnership As the health reform debate in Congress moves further forward than it ever has before, the potential real-world impacts on children and families are becoming clearer. Even from 3,000 miles away, those of us in California – home of the nation’s largest and hugely successful CHIP program…
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Enrollment Reopens in California’s CHIP Program
Just two months after freezing enrollment in the Healthy Families Program and initiating a waitlist, enrollment has reopened in California Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). A budget shortfall of just under $200 million has been plugged by a generous contribution from the state’s First Five Commission, increased family cost-sharing, and a new premium tax on…
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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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Weathering the Storm: States Move Forward on Child and Family Health Coverage Despite Tough Economic Climate
This report provides a first look at state activity after the passage of CHIPRA and the availability of increased Medicaid funding in the economic stimulus package. It finds that despite unprecedented fiscal challenges, all but a few states held steady on children’s health coverage, and twenty-three states took steps to move forward. This progress on…
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States Moving Forward: Children’s Health Coverage in 2007-08
To a surprising extent, given the weakening economy and growing fiscal strains, states have continued to move forward in their efforts to expand and improve health coverage for children. Notably, over the last year, nineteen states provided health coverage for more uninsured children and families by expanding Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program…
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Out of Touch: A Status Report on CMS’s August 17th Directive
By Jocelyn Guyer On August 17, 2007, CMS sent a letter, known as the August 17th directive, to state health officials sharply restricting the ability of states to cover uninsured children using SCHIP funds. New data and analyses from state officials, research organizations, and policy experts raise significant questions about the basis for and the…
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Children’s Coverage: Getting to the Finish Line: A View from the States
Author: Cindy Mann California State Legislature — Presentation Document June 2007
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Children’s Health Coverage: States Moving Forward
This report provides results from a nationwide review of state efforts to provide health care coverage to uninsured children between January 2006 and mid-April 2007. It shows that a large number of states throughout the country have proposed, passed, or implemented initiatives to cover more children through three primary strategies: finding, enrolling, and keeping SCHIP-…
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Closing the Coverage Gap: Trends in Health Insurance Coverage for Children
From 1996-97 to 2003-04, the uninsured rate of low-income children was reduced by a third; however, the national data mask significant variation across the states in how children are faring. To provide a state-specific perspective on the issue, this brief examines health insurance trends for children in all 50 states and the District of Columbia…
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Federal Medicaid Waiver Financing: Issues for California
Governor Schwarzenegger, in his fiscal year 2004-2005 budget, proposed to restructure California’s Medi-Cal program by obtaining a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver from the federal government. This issue brief focuses on the potential fiscal implications of Section 1115 waivers and some of the issues it could raise for California.