National
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New Urban Institute Interactive Analysis Shows Rising Cost for Families Using Employer-Sponsored Insurance
It’s no secret that private health insurance is expensive and that, over time, employers have passed more and more of the cost onto workers and their families. Still, when federal policy changes are being contemplated, there is often the sense that families have access to employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) to fall back on. This is especially…
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State CHIP Snapshots
The Role of CHIP in Children’s Coverage In 2016 the children’s health insurance coverage rate in the United States dropped to just above 95 percent, an impressive achievement. Key to this success is the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage to children who do not qualify for Medicaid but whose families cannot otherwise afford…
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States Could Lose Cost-Effective Express Lane Eligibility if Congress Fails to extend CHIP Promptly
When CHIP was reauthorized in 2009, it provided a new tool – known as Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) – for states to enroll and renew children’s coverage. ELE allows states the flexibility to use findings from other public programs, like SNAP, to determine eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP. ELE can be used at enrollment, renewal,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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. …..…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.)
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
