Eligibility & Enrollment
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Uninsured Rate for Young Adults Declines
By Sophia Duong When the ACA was signed into law, I was still in college, sitting in the basement of the student union half working on a group project, and half following the news. My friends and I were ecstatic to be a part of this momentous time in history. As young adults on the…
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Early Evidence that ACA Improves Coverage of Hispanics
The CDC survey data released earlier this week provides hope that the ACA can improve coverage rates for Hispanics, a group with persistently high rates of uninsurance. In the first three months of 2014, the percentage of uninsured Hispanics decreased from 30.3% to 27.2%. This is particularly hopeful because we know that many more people…
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Health Insurance Rates Remain Steady Among Children, According to ACS
For background information regarding the 2013 American Community Survey, please review our blog Data Debrief: Overview of the ACS and CPS. On Thursday, the US Census Bureau released 2013 American Community Survey data. In accordance with the CPS, as well as recent federal and private surveys, children’s health insurance rates remained steady last year. According…
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At Senate Hearing on CHIP, Panelists Warn of Disruption
Yesterday the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the future of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), putting the need to extend funding front and center for members of the committee, which has jurisdiction over CHIP and Medicaid. Subcommittee members heard testimony from the following panelists: Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus James…
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What the CPS Says About Our Children’s Well-being
What the CPS Says About Our Children’s Well-being For background information regarding the 2013 Current Population Survey, please review our blog Data Debrief: Overview of the ACS and CPS. On Tuesday, the US Census Bureau published Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2013, which details the results of the Current Population Survey Annual Social…
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CDC Survey Finds Uninsured Rate Drops for Adults, Remains Steady for Kids
In the rapidly changing health coverage landscape, getting an accurate snapshot of what’s happening to uninsured rates is a bit like trying to get a good photo of your new puppy sitting and smiling for the camera. Today, we got one of the most rigorous and timely snapshots that we can possibly get from a…
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Rural Children Rely on Medicaid and CHIP More than Ever
By Carrie Fitzgerald, First Focus A report released today by First Focus shows that in rural parts of the country, children are covered by public insurance sources (Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP) at a rate higher than their urban counterparts. In 2012, Medicaid and CHIP covered 47 percent of rural children compared to…
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A First Look at How the Affordable Care Act is Affecting Coverage among Parents and Children
Editor’s Note: This blog originally appeared on the Health Affairs blog. By Joan Alker, Georgetown CCF and Genevieve M. Kenney, Urban Institute Following the implementation of the major coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014, the question arises: “How is the health law affecting uninsured children and their families?” Today, the Urban…
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Looking Under the ACA Hood to Check on How Uninsured Children are Doing
Recently, CCF teamed up with the researchers at the Urban Institute to take a first look at how the Affordable Care Act is impacting the rate of uninsured children. The high level data indicates that, so far, there has been no detectable change nationally, although children’s uninsured rates remains at historically low levels. But state…
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CMS Offers Flexible Strategies for Medicaid and CHIP Renewals
Say Ahhh! readers know that I’m bullish on using technology to move Medicaid and CHIP toward data-driven, real time eligibility and enrollment. But having worked through the implementation of a new system as a CHIP director, I know how challenging this task can be. On top of that, Medicaid and CHIP are undergoing a full…
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How Does Coverage Gap Impact Parents and Kids in States Turning Down Medicaid Expansion Funds?
We know that thanks to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, America’s children are – overall – benefiting from historically high rates of health coverage (over 90% of U.S. children are now covered) even through some states still lag behind. However, low-income parents of dependent children around the country are not so fortunate if…
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More Evidence that Medicaid and CHIP offer Better Coverage Options for America’s Children
Two complementary studies published in the August 2014 issue of Health Affairs arrived at similar conclusions regarding the cost of health care for low-income kids. Low-income children covered by Medicaid and CHIP pay significantly lower premiums than children with employer-sponsored coverage and subsequently face far fewer cost barriers to coverage and care. Background: Premium Tax Credits…
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Open 24/7, Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Gains Top 7.2 Million
The June Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Report, released last week by CMS, shows that 7.2 million more people are now covered by Medicaid and CHIP than before the beginning of open enrollment last October. It’s not surprising that states expanding Medicaid have seen an 18.5 percent increase in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment, while those opting…
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Congress and States Work to Extend ACA’s Medicaid Primary Care Bump
By Sophia Duong A hot topic recently has been the extension of the Medicaid payment rate increases for primary care services. The ACA required states to reimburse primary care physicians who treat Medicaid beneficiaries at the higher Medicare rate for 2013 and 2014. The rate bump has garnered large support from physicians and hospitals, and…
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Medicaid’s Role in Improving Early Childhood Outcomes
Today, more than 27 million children are covered through Medicaid and CHIP. For the youngest children, Medicaid plays a critical role: More than 45 percent of children under age six are publicly insured. Nearly one in five Medicaid beneficiaries in the U.S. nationwide is a child under age six. Medicaid’s requirement that children receive strong,…
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Happy Anniversary CHIP – Renewing Commitment to Kids’ Coverage Would be a Great Gift
Today marks the 17th anniversary of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). I can think of no better way to commemorate the day than to encourage everyone to reach out to uninsured children they know and help connect them with coverage. This video reminds us that CHIP and Medicaid enrollment are open all year so…
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No Welcome Mat for Kids in Wisconsin
By Jon Peacock, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Advocates Seek DHS Help in Understanding What’s Causing a BadgerCare Decline The BadgerCare changes that Wisconsin put into effect this year have had a surprising and worrisome effect. Over the last 9 months, the total number of children in BadgerCare and Transitional Medicaid has been falling, at a…
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Rep. Pallone and Rep. Waxman Introduce House Bill to Extend CHIP Funding
The conversation about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) continues to take shape on the Hill. In addition to this week’s request to governors, last month Sen. Rockefeller introduced a bill to extend CHIP funds. Today Rep. Pallone and Rep. Waxman, co-sponsors of the original CHIP bill in 1997, introduced a companion…
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Congressional Leaders Ask Governors for Input on CHIP’s Future
As we continue to consider the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), one question comes up fairly regularly: Where do state officials stand on the issue? Child advocates, of course, are united in their support for continuing CHIP for the foreseeable future to ensure we don’t end up with more uninsured children or…
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Comparing CHIP with Marketplace Coverage
By Joe Touschner Since it was adopted more than 15 years ago, CHIP has brought quality, affordable coverage to millions of children whose families earn too much to enroll in Medicaid. This year, with marketplaces now up and running, a new coverage option is available for many families in the same income range—qualified health plans…