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The Medicaid Cap: Still a Terrible Idea for Children and Families

The Senate Majority Leader has announced his intention to take up the Graham-Cassidy proposal next week. The proposal has lots of moving parts. None of them are kid- or family-friendly. And one of them—the cap on federal Medicaid payments to states—is not only very unfriendly, but it will last forever. The cap first emerged in…

September 22, 2017

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Medicaid’s “Welcome Mat” Effect Means Medicaid Expansion Helps Children Get Health Coverage

New research in the journal Health Affairs this month gives even more evidence for a parental “welcome mat” effect that increases health coverage among children already eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program when their parents become eligible as well. Simply put, moving to “whole family coverage” through a state Medicaid expansion or…

September 15, 2017

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Adam Searing

Rural Health

State Data on Seniors’ Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas

The state-specific downloads in the table below show county-level data on seniors’ Medicaid coverage for the time periods 2008/09 and 2014/15. Data on children is available here, data on non-elderly adults can be found here, and data on the total non-elderly population (children and non-elderly adults combined) can be found here. For more information on Medicaid coverage for seniors,…

August 9, 2017

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Uninsured Rates for American Indian and Alaska Native Children are Coming Down But Are Still Too High: Medicaid Cuts Put These Kids at Risk

Continuing our deeper dive into recent coverage gains among at-risk populations thanks largely to Medicaid (like our recent report on Medicaid’s disproportionate role for small towns and rural areas), today we are releasing a new paper “Coverage Trends for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Families.” The big takeaway: Uninsured rates for AI/AN children…

July 14, 2017

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Research & Reports

Coverage Trends for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Families

Uninsured rates for children in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) families have dropped quickly in the past eight years, but they still remain high and will likely rise if substantial cuts are made to the Medicaid program, according to the report, Coverage Trends for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Families. The report found: 54 percent of…

July 14, 2017

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Top 10 Rural Counties With Largest Share of Kids and Adults Relying on Medicaid to Meet Health Needs

Using data from our Rural Health Policy Project, we just took a look at the counties across the country that have the highest percent of children and adults relying on Medicaid for their health care. As readers of SayAhhh! know, our study found that children living in small towns and rural areas are significantly more…

July 6, 2017

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Medicaid is Vital to Seniors in Small Towns and Rural Areas

Most of our research is focused on children and families, but as we looked at Medicaid use in small towns and rural areas for our recent report, we were curious what the data showed for seniors. After all, grandparents and older relatives are an important part of most families, and their health and wellbeing is…

June 27, 2017

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Research & Reports

Medicaid’s Role for Seniors Living in Small Towns and Rural America

Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of older adults (age 65+) who are likely also enrolled in Medicare. Medicaid is the primary payer for long-term services and supports that are not covered by Medicare, paying for more than 50 percent of these costs in 2015. This role is especially important as the population ages: 37…

June 26, 2017

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Jack Hoadley

Rural Health

State Data on Non-Elderly Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas

The state-specific downloads in the table below show county-level data on total non-elderly populations’ (children and adults) Medicaid coverage and uninsurance for the time periods 2008/09 and 2014/15. Data on children is available here, and data on adults can be found here. Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia are excluded because less than 2…

June 23, 2017

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States at Risk = Children and Families at Risk

It is a truth universally acknowledged that states don’t get sick, people get sick. But in a program like Medicaid, where the federal government and the states share in the cost of medical and long-term care services that people need, the fiscal fortunes of states and the health of beneficiaries are inextricably linked. If the…

June 15, 2017

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Connecting the Dots: Capping Medicaid, Closing Rural Hospitals, and Stranding Rural Children and Families

The Senate was designed by our founding fathers to protect less populated states. Few would dispute that over the decades, the Senate has faithfully executed that institutional mission, especially when it comes to health policy. So it is completely mystifying that the Senate, according to all reports, is seriously considering capping federal Medicaid payments to…

June 9, 2017

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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…

June 6, 2017

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Research & Reports

Rural Health Report: Medicaid is a Lifeline for Small Towns and Rural Communities

Medicaid is a vital source of health coverage nationwide, but the program’s role is even more pronounced in small towns and rural areas. Medicaid covers a larger share of nonelderly adults and children in rural and small-town areas than in metropolitan areas; this trend is strongest among children. Demographic factors have an impact on this…

June 6, 2017

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Rural Health

State Data on Child Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas

The state-specific downloads in the table below show county-level data on children’s Medicaid coverage and uninsurance for the time periods 2008/09 and 2014/15. The accompanying county-level state maps show whether a county was below or above the national average in 2014/15 with regard to the rate of children’s medicaid coverage and the rate of uninsured children in…

June 6, 2017

Rural Health

State Data on Adult Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas

The state-specific downloads in the table below show county-level data on adults’ Medicaid coverage and uninsurance for the time periods 2008/09 and 2014/15. The accompanying county-level state maps show whether a county was below or above the national average in 2014/15 with regard to the rate of adults’ medicaid coverage and the rate of uninsured adults in small towns and…

June 6, 2017

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Medicaid Fills a Crucial Role in Rural America

A number of new resources have been published recently by other research organizations on the key role that Medicaid plays in providing coverage for residents of rural areas. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s report, “The Role of Medicaid in Rural America,” found that Medicaid helps overcome some of the unique challenges in rural areas including provider…

May 30, 2017

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Alexandra Corcoran

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Proposed Changes to Medicaid Threaten Access to Health Care

In the 1990s, the Medicaid program was often discussed by policymakers as a secondary topic after dealing with issues surrounding Medicare and reforming managed care. There were several reasons for this. Medicaid was seen as a “welfare” program targeted at specific poor populations. The country still hadn’t yet experienced the deep recessions that would mean…

May 15, 2017

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Adam Searing

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Council of Economic Advisers Reports Uninsured Rate Now at Lowest Point in History

Last month, the Council of Economic Advisers released a report demonstrating that historic progress on health insurance coverage is due, in large part, to the ACA. Since the ACA took effect, an estimated 20 million additional adults gained health insurance, the children’s uninsured rate fell by almost half, and the overall uninsured rate fell to…

January 13, 2017

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