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 […]
Congress, Stand by Your Commitment to Kids | Op-ed
Deseret News By: Jessie Mandle and Charles Pruitt As kids head back to school, it is a crucial time to engage parents and help them learn about different health insurance options for their families. CHIP is one of the first programs low-income parents learn about for their children. Parents pay premiums and their kids get […]
Progress on CHIP Extension Threatened by Graham-Cassidy Repeal Effort
Though we were optimistic about the chances of swift, bipartisan action on CHIP last week, that optimism has waned as the partisan rhetoric around repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has heated up again. The simple fact of the matter is that you cannot have movement on these two initiatives at once. Unfortunately, the […]
CHIP Snapshot
Wyoming Snapshot – Children’s Health Insurance Program (KidCare CHIP)
Louisiana Snapshot – Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP)
Graham-Cassidy: The Wrong Prescription for Children and Families
Many of us thought that the effort to “repeal and replace” the ACA died on the Senate floor in July. Maybe not. This past Wednesday, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), joined by two other Republican Senators, released yet another “repeal and replace” proposal. The Senators hope to take their proposal to the […]
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 […]
Advocates Applaud Children’s Health Deal Despite Changes
CQ News By: Sandhya Raman Children’s advocacy groups are pleased with the multi-year extension to the Children’s Health Insurance Program proposed by Sens. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Ron Wyden of Oregon even though it would scale back some state funding and consumer protections in the health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152). The […]
Positive Development for CHIP Emerges from Senate Finance Committee Leaders
Yesterday I blogged about the urgent need for Congress to take bipartisan action to extend CHIP funding before it expires on September 30. The Senate only has 10 legislative days left before the deadline, and the House only has five! Yikes! Almost nine million children have their coverage provided for or funded at least in part […]
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, […]
Congress Must Extend CHIP to Ensure Health Care for Kids
Des Moines Register By: Anne Discher As Gov. Kim Reynolds decides this month whether to call a special session to address Iowa’s budget deficit, our state’s Congressional delegation is back in Washington deciding whether to continue funding state programs that provide health coverage to kids. Congress’ failure to act would make Iowa lawmakers’ job balancing […]
ARKids B Funding up in the Air at the Federal Level
ABC7 News By: Talk Business and Politics Roughly 120,000 kids in Arkansas could be dropped from the ARKids First health insurance rolls unless Congress extends $195 million in federal funding that supports the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by the Sept. 30 expiration, according to Laura Kellams, director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. […]
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 […]
Marketplace Coverage is Not an Adequate Substitute for CHIP
Will Congress Convert Bipartisan Support for CHIP into Action for Kids?
Last week I attended and spoke at a wonderful child health symposium at West Virginia University’s John D. Rockefeller IV School of Policy and Politics. Senator Rockefeller was there sharing his inspiration and wisdom and emphasizing the bipartisan spirit in which the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was born 20 years ago. Today, thanks to […]
U.S. Continues Progress in Children’s Health: Over 95% of U.S. Children Have Health Insurance
Today the Census Bureau partially released the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) health insurance data. According to the data, the insured rate among children under age 19 is now at an all-time high of 95.3 percent. This continues the upward trend of the children’s insured rate since 2008. Overall, 2016 shows promising developments for children’s […]
As Congress Debates Health Care, Study Finds Relationship Between Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance
Kaiser Health News By: Shefali Luthra Efforts by Republican lawmakers to scale back Medicaid enrollment could undercut an aspect of the program that has widespread bipartisan appeal — covering more children, research published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs suggests. The study focuses on the impact of Medicaid’s “welcome-mat” effect — a term used to […]