CHIP
-
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.…
-
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…
-
Kaiser Releases Report on Impact of CHIP and Medicaid on Kids
By Keanan Lane September 2015 continues to draw closer, and with it, the question over whether funding for CHIP will be extended. As the discussion develops into a wider and more hotly contested debate, it will be important to bring out the evidence on how CHIP has proven effective in providing insurance access to children,…
-
As Clock Ticks on CHIP Funding, Experts Work to Explain its Importance to Kids
The Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid are the MVPs of children’s coverage. About 8 million children with low to moderate incomes are covered by CHIP while 39 million children are covered under Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act built upon the success of these two vital health coverage programs in many ways including an extension…
-
Serious Enrollment Gap for Limited English Proficient Californians
If you’re like me, you’re impatiently awaiting more data so that you can understand how immigrant families—many eligible for subsidies for health insurance for the first time—faired in open enrollment. A new paper from the Greenlining Institute, identifies major gaps in enrollment for immigrant communities and some ways to close them. In addition to using…
-
MACPAC: Extend CHIP, Address Affordability and Adequacy of Children’s Coverage
Those of us in the child health world know an important topic for the coming year is the future of CHIP and whether funding will be extended beyond September 2015. We at CCF are convinced it is necessary for CHIP to remain strong and stable alongside Medicaid for the foreseeable future to maintain our nation’s…
-
How Have Medicaid, CHIP Expansions Improved Educational Outcomes for Kids?
By Keanan Lane One of the best ways to promote health care access is through health insurance; however, health care access is not the ultimate goal. Ultimately, the hope is for health care to help individuals lead healthy and productive lives. A NBER Working Paper sheds light on public insurance’s role in promoting both of…
-
Sen. Rockefeller Introduces Bill to Extend CHIP Funding
Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is set to expire in September 2015 without Congressional action. At a time when we have made health care coverage a possibility for all Americans, we must ensure that children don’t get left behind. Say Ahhh! readers know that CHIP covers millions of children that could…
-
CHIP Financing Basics #2 – Where the CHIP(s) Fall on State Program Design
We at CCF are thinking a lot about the future of CHIP, as Say Ahhh! readers know well. Without legislative action, CHIP funding will expire in September 2015 and, in effect, end the program. So the natural question is: What will happen if CHIP funds are not renewed? The answer (which should surprise few in…
-
Improving Enrollment for Immigrant Families Could Cut the Number of Uninsured Kids in Half
It’s hard to believe that the next open enrollment period is only 5 months away. As the federal marketplace and states work to fix enrollment challenges, it’s important to consider what groups are most likely to be uninsured and smooth their pathway to coverage. A study recently came out that makes it clear that enrollment…
-
Delaying Care: Treatment Effects of High Cost Sharing
By Keanan Lane A recent study appearing in JAMA provides further insight into the effects of cost sharing on patients with chronic illnesses, finding that higher amounts resulted in greater delays of necessary treatments. Parents were surveyed about financial pressure they felt in treating their children’s asthma and whether, in the presence of financial pressure,…
-
CHIP Financing Basics #1 – Federal CHIP Funding Structure
As we at CCF begin to dig into the future of CHIP—which stands to go away if funds are not renewed before next September—we thought it would make sense to refresh Say Ahhh! readers (and ourselves!) about how the financing works so we can more thoughtfully contemplate what happens if Congress does or does not…
-
Health Coverage for Immigrant Children and Families? Two New Studies Support Moving Forward
Two new studies published in Health Affairs support state efforts to expand coverage for immigrant children and families. Coverage for immigrant kids and pregnant women In 2009, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act provided a new opportunity for states to receive federal funding to cover lawfully present low-income kids and pregnant women in Medicaid…
-
CHIP Enrollees Gain Same Mandate Accommodation as QHP Enrollees
By Joe Touschner Months ago, CMS clarified that those who signed up for a qualified health plan by the end of open enrollment would not face a tax penalty for lacking coverage in early 2014, even if their plans were not effective until May 1. This was necessary since the mandate exemption for a short…
-
Crossing Into New Territory with 25,000 Newly Covered Kids
By Anna Strong, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families At Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, we’ve been working for many years to ensure that all children have health coverage here in our state. Our latest report, Crossing into New Territory: Kids’ Health Coverage in 2014, outlines the progress Arkansas has made in covering kids since…
-
What Would Happen if CHIP Went Away? Our Research Suggests Kids (for now) Would be Significantly Worse Off
While the eyes of the world have been intently focused on the success or failure of the Affordable Care Act, an important question has recently surfaced in the policy debate by the Medicaid and CHIP Payment Access Commission (MACPAC, — the group legislatively tasked with making recommendations on Medicaid and CHIP to policymakers): Should the Children’s…
-
Dismantling CHIP in Arizona: How Losing KidsCare Impacts a Child’s Health Care Costs
On January 31, 2014, an estimated 14,000 Arizona children lost their health coverage under KidsCare II, a temporary extension of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). But in fact, Arizona began to dismantle its CHIP program, which provided stable, affordable coverage for uninsured children with family income at or below 200 percent of the…
-
Without CHIP, Low-Income Arizona Families Face High Costs for Children’s Health Coverage
Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law, Arizona began the process of dismantling its CHIP program when it froze enrollment in KidsCare in January 2010. Enrollment was temporarily reinstated in May 2012, extending coverage to 47,000 children at the peak of KidsCare II. Thanks to the ACA’s alignment of children’s Medicaid eligibility across all…
-
CCF-NASHP Report Details CHIP Benefits and Cost Sharing and Considers ACA Context
By Joe Touschner (CCF) and Joanne Jee (NASHP) We know CHIP gives millions of children access to affordable health coverage, but what exactly does it cover? Because of the flexibility built into the CHIP law, the answer varies by state—states can choose both the benefits and the cost sharing in their separate CHIP programs, as…
-
Benefits and Cost Sharing in Separate CHIP Programs
CHIP provides states with options when designing their programs. States can choose to use CHIP funds to expand their Medicaid programs, establish separate CHIP programs, or offer a mix of both types. Within broad federal rules and guidelines, states have considerable flexibility in separate CHIP programs to determine benefit packages. States also can set premium…