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Federal

  • Why CHIP Beats the Marketplace When it Comes to Kids

    Over the past few decades, policymakers have made a commitment to insuring children, as evidenced by Medicaid coverage expansions in the 1980s, the creation of CHIP in 1997, and most recently, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But not all of these coverage sources are created equal. Medicaid, the MVP for children’s coverage, offers children an…

  • Marketplace Coverage is Not an Adequate Substitute for CHIP

    With the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) set to expire on September 30, some political leaders and policymakers have asked whether the nearly 9 million, low-income children on CHIP could just as easily be covered on Marketplace plans. Our analysis shows that Marketplace plans would cost families more, provide fewer benefits and offer less stability…

  • Experts: States can adjust to lower CHIP match if they have time to prepare

    Modern Healthcare By Mara Lee Keeping the enhanced match that was added to CHIP as part of the Affordable Care Act is unlikely to be the sticking point for a bipartisan deal, a senior House Republican aide said. … Kelly Whitener, associate professor of the practice at Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said…

  • Kelly Whitener on the Children’s Health Insurance Program 

    CSPAN Video: Professor Kelly Whitener talked about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). View the video here.

  • Will Congress Pass CHIP Renewal?

    MedPage Today By Shannon Firth WASHINGTON — Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is slated to expire on Sept. 30, giving Congress a tight deadline to renew the popular program — and also an opportunity to hang other less-popular pieces of legislation onto what is widely seen as a “must-pass” bill. …..…

  • States Prepare For Losing CHIP Funding Despite Reassurances From Congress

    Inside Health Policy States have started preparing in case federal funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program run out, the National Academy for State Health Policy said, and CMS recently discussed CHIP contingency plans with state officials, though states received assurances of bipartisan support for CHIP by Senate Finance Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and ranking…

  • Medicaid is Increasingly Important for Kids and Families in Small Towns and Rural Communities

    Since we started doing our annual report on uninsured children six years ago, the slightly higher overall rate for children living in rural areas has caught my eye. As a researcher, I always want to learn more about the populations that have higher uninsured rates. This year, with funding from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, my…

  • Making Kids Wait for Coverage Makes No Sense in a Reformed Health System

    A central goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is near universal access to affordable health insurance through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and subsidies to help purchase private coverage in the new Health Insurance Marketplaces. As states full implement the ACA, they are modernizing the way Medicaid and CHIP do business, including…

  • Snapshot of Children’s Coverage by Race and Ethnicity

    Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are primary sources of health coverage for children. These programs are particularly important to children of color, who are disproportionately represented among beneficiaries because they are more likely to be economically disadvantaged. (View our 2018 snapshot of children’s coverage by race and ethnicity.)

  • INTERACTIVE MAPS: Children Covered by Medicaid and CHIP by county, state or congressional district.

    These maps show how many children are covered by Medicaid in each county and congressional district. Visit these links to view the maps, and to download handouts on your state’s coverage data: Percent of Children Covered by Medicaid/CHIP (congressional district) Percent of Children Covered by Medicaid/CHIP (county) Visit CCF’s State Resource Center for state-level data on health…

  • What’s at Stake for Schools and Students in Health Care Debate?

    As Congress considers how to reform the nation’s health care system, the decisions made on Capitol Hill could well have a profound impact on schools and their most vulnerable students. How? The most obvious answer is financial. By now we know that Congress is not content to simply repeal the health care plan then-President Barack…

  • New CMS Administrator Verma Takes The Helm And Reaches Out To Governors On Medicaid

    On Monday night, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Seema Verma to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by a 55-43 vote. Verma, as Say Ahhh! readers know, comes to CMS from Indiana where she worked for then-Gov. Mike Pence as a consultant on the state’s Healthy Indiana program. As I expected,…

  • State Snapshots of Children’s Health Coverage

    As Say Ahhh! readers well know, Medicaid and CHIP are a primary source of coverage for children, particularly the most vulnerable children. But even people who know the importance of our public coverage programs are often surprised to learn key statistics about Medicaid and CHIP. For example, did you know that: 57 percent of all…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation & CCF Release 50-State Medicaid/CHIP Survey

    Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families released their annual 50-state survey on Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment, renewal and cost-sharing policies. The survey is a “must read” report for anyone interested in health care policy and its impact on low-income children and families across the country.  Tricia…

  • Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal, and Cost Sharing Policies: Findings from a 50-State Survey

    This annual 50-state survey provides data on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility, enrollment, renewal and cost sharing policies and identifies changes in these policies that occurred in the past year.  This report documents the role Medicaid and CHIP play for low-income children and families and the evolution of these programs under the…

  • Research Shows Fewer Jobs, Greater Financial Burden on Providers, States, & Local Governments if ACA Repealed

    Taken together, three recent papers provide a sobering look at the extensive economic consequences for providers if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed. Just last week, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published “The Impact on Health Care Providers of Partial ACA Repeal through Reconciliation,” an analysis from the Urban Institute. Their main finding? Repeal…

  • For Mental Health Services, Would ACA Repeal Turn ‘Warm Handoff’ into Cold Shoulder?

    One of the few points of bipartisan agreement in Congress last year was finding ways to support mental health services. The 21st Century Cures Act passed in Congress and signed by the President just last month took steps to integrate mental health into primary care services, expand the pool of providers and improve the interactions…

  • 50-State Report Examines Economic Repercussions of ACA Repeal

    Leighton Ku and his colleagues at George Washington University’s Milken School of Public Health and the Commonwealth Fund just published a very important new report with state-by-state estimates on how many jobs would be lost if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without a replacement attached. The report found that repealing the tax credits and…

  • New Study Finds Severe Consequences For Children And Families If ACA Is Repealed: The Number Of Uninsured Children And Parents Would More Than Double

    A new report by leading child health economists at the Urban Institute models a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through reconciliation and its impact on children and parents. The study found that the number of uninsured children would more than double under a partial repeal as compared to current law: an additional…

  • Repealing the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion: What’s at Risk

    In this new Kaiser Family Foundation report on the consequences for Medicaid expansion if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed, two numbers particularly stand out: 11 million adults have gained Medicaid coverage in 31 states and DC because of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Through mid 2015, Medicaid expansion states have…