CHIP
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Medicaid Managed Care Transparency: Another Leap Forward
Last October, transparency in Medicaid managed care took a leap forward with the publication of a path-breaking study by Dr. Andrew Bindman and his colleagues at the University of California at San Francisco. The researchers examined the performance of individual managed care organizations (MCOs) participating in the state’s Medicaid program with respect to quality of…
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Medicaid Expansion Will Benefit Missouri Kids
Next week, on August 4th, voters in Missouri will have a chance to weigh in on Medicaid expansion — becoming the 6th state to do so. Oklahoma voters just passed a similar expansion measure on June 30 of this year, leaving only 13 states left still refusing federal Medicaid funding to extend affordable health coverage…
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Snapshot of Children with Medicaid by Race and Ethnicity
Introduction Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are primary sources of health coverage for low-income children, especially for children of color because they are more likely to be economically disadvantaged. As such, these sources of health insurance offer an opportunity to assess and address existing health disparities. In this analysis, we use the…
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Coalition Calls on Secretary Azar to Use Medicaid Waiver Authority to Promote Health Equity
In light of the heightened national attention to the injustice of structural racism, a lengthy list of diverse national and state groups representing patients, providers, racial justice organizations and others sent a letter to Secretary Azar urging him to take two immediate steps with respect to pending Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration requests that would help…
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Proposed Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Rule Overhaul Back on the Docket at OMB
In a speech to the National Association of Medicaid Directors last November, Administrator Seema Verma announced that CMS would be overhauling regulations to tighten the standards for eligibility verification in Medicaid and CHIP. For many months, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was listed on the regulatory review dashboard at the Office of Information and…
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How much will COVID-19 drive up uninsured numbers? New report underscores how hard it is to know
The year 2020 is certainly going to be one to remember in the history books. The current recession associated with the pandemic is undoubtedly going to result in more people enrolling in public coverage and, sadly, will also drive up the uninsured rate in the U.S (especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid). But…
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Illustrating the Harmful Impact of Medicaid Block Grants and Per Capita Caps on State Funding of K-12 Education
Introduction States now face large and growing budget deficits due to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis.In turn, school districts are bracing for substantial cuts to state funding of K-12 education. One estimate finds that school districts would need $230 billion in federal assistance over the next 2 fiscal years to offset state funding losses…
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Health and Racial Disparities for Babies, Mothers Need Focused Attention, New Report Finds
As we’re increasingly learning, the experience of preconception, prenatal, birth, and postpartum health for moms flows directly to their infants, setting up the health status of the young family in the critical first years of life. This is why ZERO TO THREE’s State of Babies report this year calls special attention to hurdles faced by…
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Fact Sheets: Latino Children’s Health Coverage
State officials’ decisions about coverage options, especially in times of crises, have a profound effect on children and can exacerbate pre-existing racial and ethnic disparities. For notes on methodology, visit this page. Arizona Fact Sheet California Fact Sheet Florida Fact Sheet Georgia Fact Sheet Nevada Fact Sheet Puerto Rico Fact Sheet Texas Fact Sheet For…
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Methodology: Latino Children’s Coverage Health Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets are additional analyses building upon the following brief report: Whitener, K., Lopez, S., Roygardner, L. & Snider, M. (2020). Decade of Success for Latino Children’s Health Now in Jeopardy (March 10, 2020). Unless otherwise noted, the data cited is based on Georgetown University Center for Children and Families analysis of the U.S. Census…
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MACPAC looks to improve care integration for dual-eligibles
Modern Healthcare By: Michael Brady Key policy changes could significantly improve the integration of care for people that are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission said Monday in its annual report to Congress. MACPAC said CMS should loosen enrollment restrictions for so-called “dual-eligibles” by creating an exception…
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Oklahoma’s Medicaid Expansion Debate Rollercoaster
On June 30, Oklahoma voters will have a chance to require their state to expand affordable health coverage through expanding Medicaid. This would follow the lead of 37 other states (including DC) that have already expanded the program to cover more working adults since 2014. No state has gone back on its expansion decision and…
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Medicaid Work Requirements in the Time of Unemployment
Between March 1 and June 6, a total of 44.5 million Americans filed initial claims for unemployment insurance. These massive job losses will result in a dramatic increase in the number of Americans without health insurance coverage, threatening the ability of unemployed Americans to afford needed care for themselves and their families during the COVID-19…
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Rural Disparities, Racial Disparities, and Maternal Health Crisis Call Out for Solutions
Maternal health access and care were already in crisis before COVID-19, and the pandemic has further laid bare the racial and geographic disparities experienced by pregnant women and new mothers across the country. Last month we submitted comments in response to CMS’s request for information on improving access and quality of maternal health in rural…
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Opportunities for Supporting Children and Families through Pediatric Primary Care in the Time of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing serious health and economic consequences on families, children, and communities and is threatening the viability of the health care delivery system. While we can’t know the lasting consequences of the unprecedented stress confronting families, it is likely to have detrimental, lasting effects on the social and emotional health of our…
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Iowa Families That Lose Health Insurance During Crisis Have Options
Public News Service Losing employer-provided health insurance is one of the side effects of the pandemic-driven economic crisis. That poses a big concern for Iowa families and their children, bit many do have options. It’s estimated that as many as 43 million Americans could lose their health insurance as a result of the pandemic… While…
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Latest Coverage Proposals In Congress
Health Affairs By: Katie Keith Congressional Democrats have released several recent proposals related to health insurance coverage and the COVID-19 crisis… The Heroes Act would further raise the temporary FMAP increase to 14 percentage points from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. If the emergency extends beyond June 30, 2021, the FMAP adjustment would…
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COVID-19 and Child Welfare
We’ve written a lot in the past few months about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Medicaid and CHIP. We’ve also written about the devastating impact of the pandemic on the economy and state budgets. Unfortunately, the devastation doesn’t stop there. Today, we invited two of our partners at the Children’s Defense Fund, Stefanie…
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Behavioral Health Services in Separate State CHIP Programs: Is Your State in Compliance?
Access to behavioral health services has long lagged behind physical health, despite a clear and growing need. The need has no doubt been exacerbated by the stress of the new coronavirus. Finding and ensuring health coverage for pregnant women and children’s mental health services – ones that are appropriate for their developmental stage — can…
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Medicaid as First Responder: Enrollment Is on the Rise
Introduction Medicaid is and will continue to play a central role in the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to both the health crisis and the ensuing economic crisis. With unemployment rapidly rising to double digits and workers (and their spouses and dependent children) losing their employer-sponsored insurance, it has been widely expected…
