Federal
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New Study Shows Medicaid Expansion Reduces Household Debt
Medicaid expansion has led to declines in the rate of uninsurance, improved access to care for enrollees, and financial savings for states. A new study points to an additional benefit to newly eligible Medicaid enrollees: lowering debt. Prior studies indicate that Medicaid reduces medical debt, but a new study examined the impact of Medicaid expansion…
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CMS Releases Final Managed Care Rule for Medicaid, CHIP
Many children and families rely on Medicaid or CHIP as their source of health care coverage and a growing number of them are connecting with that coverage through managed care plans. How managed care is delivered has a significant impact on the health and well-being of children and families. In fact, three-quarters of children enrolled in…
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CHIR Expert Testifies Before U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee about Innovations in Health Care
By Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms Sabrina Corlette of the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms joined a panel of witnesses before the Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Education & Workforce Committee to discuss “Innovations in Health Care: Exploring Free-Market Solutions for a Healthy Workforce.” Other panelists at…
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Video Highlights of Hearing on “Flint Water Crisis: Impacts and Lessons Learned”
On Wednesday, April 13, Georgetown CCF’s Executive Director Joan Alker testified before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on lessons emerging from the Flint water crisis. Here are the highlights of the hearing. Joan Alker explains the vital role of Medicaid in ameliorating harm in times of crisis… and how Medicaid can help meet…
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HHS Study Shows Benefits of Shopping and Subsidies, but Costs Still a Concern
By Sean Miskell As insurers selling on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Marketplaces begin to file their 2017 rates with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), concerns over proposed increases will once again emerge. But a report released by the HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) demonstrates that behind the headlines…
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New Brief Highlights States’ Experiences in Implementing Ex Parte Renewals in Medicaid and CHIP
Eligible children and families losing Medicaid or CHIP coverage at renewal for procedural or paperwork reasons has been a persistent problem. As Harvard researcher Dr. Benjamin Sommers has aptly noted, poor retention rather than poor take-up is the main reason why millions of children eligible for Medicaid and CHIP are uninsured. Dr. Sommers’ research has…
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Making Medicaid Work Better: Lessons from States on Implementing Ex Parte Renewals
This brief focuses on states’ experiences in implementing data-driven renewals in Medicaid through a process called ‘ex parte’ – using third party data sources to confirm ongoing eligibility. We interviewed officials in eight diverse states to identify the challenges states face in automating the renewal process and summarize their experiences in overcoming these barriers to…
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President Obama’s Budget Takes State-Level Debates over Surprise Out-of-Network Bills to National Policymakers
by Sandy Ahn, Jack Hoadley and Sabrina Corlette of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, originally posted on Health Affairs Blog, March 22, 2016 President Obama’s final budget proposal was met with little fanfare, but a lot of political opposition. The President, however, put forth one legislative proposal that deserves attention. It is aimed at helping…
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A Primer on Health Care Quality Measurement and Improvement for Children in Medicaid and CHIP
When I was the CHIP Director in New Hampshire, we thought that achieving a 95% rate of coverage for kids was the high bar. As a country, we are not only closing in on that goal, but leading states have raised the bar to 98% and beyond. And while we must continue to eliminate disparities…
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Measuring and Improving Health Care Quality for Children in Medicaid and CHIP: A Primer for Child Health Stakeholders
A large body of evidence shows that, compared to low-income uninsured children, Medicaid has been highly successful in providing children with a usual source of care and regular well-child care while significantly reducing unmet or delayed needs for medical care, dental care, and prescription drugs due to costs. Nonetheless, quality improvement centers on the notion…
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Report Provides (Some) Insight on Network Adequacy as New Regulations Promise More
By Sean Miskell As more Americans gain coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplaces, attention is increasingly turning to the quality of this coverage, especially concerning the adequacy of the provider networks available under these plans. Questions about the scope of networks for plans sold through the Marketplace are important with regard to access…
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Improving Health Care Access for American Indians and Alaska Natives
by Jesse Cross-Call, originally posted on cbpp.org An updated policy for how the federal government helps finance the costs of Medicaid services for American Indians and Alaska Natives will improve the delivery of care and save states money. Medicaid plays a critical role in providing health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives; a quarter…
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Oklahoma’s Proposed Medicaid Cut Won’t Pass Federal Muster
by Jesse Cross-Call, originally posted on cbpp.org Oklahoma’s Senate is considering legislation, which its House passed last week, to end Medicaid coverage for 110,000 very low-income parents. But even if Oklahoma enacts the legislation, federal officials almost certainly won’t grant the needed federal approval to move forward. By federal law, states must provide Medicaid coverage…
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FAQ: Health Marketplace Tax Penalties, Exemptions, Reconciliation, and Special Enrollment Periods
By Tricia Brooks, Sandy Ahn, Sabrina Corlette, and JoAnn Volk, this was originally posted March 9, 2015 under the title “Confused about What Happens at Tax Time? FAQs on Penalties, Exemptions, Reconciliation, and SEPs“. As part of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded work in providing technical assistance to consumer assisters in five states, we…
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Some Tax Guidance for People in Immigrant Families
Now that we are knee-deep in tax season, we have heard reports of confusion about new tax filing rules related to health coverage for people in immigrant families. Here are some of the common questions we’ve heard so far and our answers. Related Content: ICHIA Fact Sheet: CHIP and Health Coverage for Lawfully Residing Children…
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IRS Issues Guidance on Overlapping Medicaid and Marketplace Coverage
At last, we have IRS guidance informing consumers and tax preparers about issues with overlapping coverage through Medicaid and the Marketplace. I described this problem in a recent blog, highlighting the confusion that could result from 1095 forms showing dual coverage in Medicaid and the Marketplace. We have been concerned that during the tax reconciliation…
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How Milwaukee Won the White House Healthy Communities Challenge
In November, the White House launched a “Healthy Communities Challenge” and identified twenty cities with large numbers or high percentages of uninsured individuals to compete in enrolling new people in plans during OE3. Through this challenge, communities made concentrated efforts to reach remaining uninsured individuals and helped connect them to coverage. Good news and hearty…
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CMS Releases 2015 Report on the Quality of Health Care for Children in Medicaid and CHIP
Now that CMS has released the fifth annual Quality of Health Care for Children in Medicaid and CHIP, let’s take a look at the highlights of the children’s report. First, some background: the 2009 CHIP Reauthorization Act launched a wide-ranging set of initiatives to advance pediatric health care quality measurement and improvement. At the top…
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Healthcare.gov Changing Approach to Special Enrollment Periods, May be Bumpy Road for Consumers
This was originally posted on the CHIRblog. Lost your job? Moving to a new area? Having a baby? Make sure you have documentation of these life events if you want health insurance through healthcare.gov. Recently announced, the administration will now require verifying documents from consumers who enroll or change their plans using a special enrollment…
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Getting Enrollment Right for Immigrant Families
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has yielded impressive progress in reducing the ranks of the uninsured, with more than 12 million people covered by the health insurance marketplaces alone. However, meeting the goal of enrolling the remaining seven million people who are eligible for marketplace coverage but are still uninsured— even after the third open…