CHIP
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Progress on Children’s Health Coverage is Slowing
The historic progress our nation has made in reducing the rate of uninsured children appears to be slowing down. While we’ve achieved the historically low child uninsured rate of 7.1 percent, our research shows that we’re starting to see some stagnation. Whether this is an aberration or an indication of a more significant trend remains…
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Children’s Coverage at a Crossroads: Progress Slows
In 2013, for the first time in recent history, the uninsured rate for children did not significantly decline from the previous year, remaining just above seven percent. Yet in the past five years, the number of uninsured children declined substantially from just under 6.9 million to just over 5.2 million in large part due to…
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School-Aged Children Benefit from ACA “Stairstep” Provision
One piece of the ACA that has received less attention than others (outside CCF at least!) is the requirement for states to align eligibility for all children under 19, also referred to as the elimination of “stairstep” eligibility for kids. A recent USA Today article focused new attention on this provision. Under the ACA states…
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Uninsured Children More Likely to Face Access and Affordability Barriers, Less Likely to Receive Preventive Care
Did you know that uninsured children are nearly 27 percentage points less likely than insured children to have received a routine checkup in the last year? That was one of the findings in a report CCF released with the Urban Institute earlier this month. Now most Say Ahhh! readers won’t find that statistic all that surprising…
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Children’s Coverage Improves as States Expand CHIP Eligibility
A study published in Health Affairs confirms the vital role that CHIP has played in decreasing the rate of uninsured children as well as the importance of extending federal funding for CHIP. In The Impact Of Recent CHIP Eligibility Expansions On Children’s Insurance Coverage, 2008–12, authors examined fifteen states that expanded their CHIP income eligibility…
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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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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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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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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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Future of CHIP
Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families conducts research and provides recommendations on the most promising ways to to protect and improve children’s coverage, the important role CHIP plays in the coverage landscape, and the best ways to sustain and build upon the program’s successes.
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Slow but Steady Rise in Access to Pediatric Dental Care
By Sophia Duong Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease for children, in large part due to children’s lack of dental care. However, recent data shows that more kids are ‘saying ahhh’ at the dentist these days. In a previous blog post, Tricia Brooks discussed the increased state reporting on the CHIPRA health quality…
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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…
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Kids Count Data Book Documents Important Gains in Health Coverage for Kids & Uncovers Health Disparities for Some
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently published the 25th edition of their KIDS COUNT Data Book, which provides comprehensive information on the status of children’s well-being in the United States. In addition to children’s health status, the Data Book reports on child wellness in three other domains including economic well-being, education, and family and community.…
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State Reporting on Child Health Quality Measures Improves Considerably
The 2009 CHIP Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) introduced a number of useful tools and incentives to advance and improve children’s health coverage including the development of a standardized set of children’s health quality measures. Last fall, while we were all engrossed in the rollout of the health insurance marketplaces, HHS released the 2013 Annual Report on…