CHIP
-
Super Blog-Off: Green Bay Faces Off Against Pittsburgh to Connect Kids to Coverage
So maybe I’m taking HHS Secretary Sebelius’ “Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge” a little too far but if millions of Americans are going to drop everything to watch the Super Bowl, why can’t we channel some of that energy into something that will help uninsured children “Get Covered and Get in the Game”. Say Ahhh!…
-
Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Inspires Innovation
By Liz Arjun Two years ago today, President Obama signed into law the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act to help families facing tough times find affordable health coverage for their children. Thanks to the strong resolve of national and state leaders, many of our children have been offered shelter during these turbulent economic times.…
-
CHIPRA Led Way to More Stable and Accessible Coverage in Ohio
(Editor’s Note: CHIPRA celebrates its second anniversary this week and Say Ahhh! is featuring guest blogs about how the law has impacted children and families in their states. Mary Wachtel of Voices for Ohio’s Children is today’s featured blogger. Ohio was also featured in CCF’s 50-state survey of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and enrollment released…
-
CHIPRA Provides More Funds to Help States Pay for Language Services
By Mara Youdelman, National Health Law Program As immigrant communities expand across the United States, many healthcare providers and patients have encountered communication barriers making it difficult for patients to receive proper care. Yet proper communication is as important to healthcare as a stethoscope. You can’t listen to someone’s heart without a stethoscope. How can…
-
CHIPRA Anniversary Approaching: Let’s Celebrate Successful Outreach
Elizabeth Wood (Editor’s Note: In honor of the upcoming Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act anniversary on Feb. 4, Say Ahhh! is highlighting how CHIPRA has helped connect children with coverage since President Obama signed it into law two years ago. This week, Elizabeth Wood, formerly with the New Jersey Office of the Child Advocate,…
-
Holding Steady, Looking Ahead: Annual Findings of a 50-State Survey of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010-2011
Over the past year, as the nation’s attention was focused on the country’s economic problems and the debate over the passage of broader health care reform, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) continued to play their vital role of providing coverage to millions of people who otherwise lack affordable coverage options. In 2010,…
-
10 Reasons Why Repealing Health Reform Would Harm Children
By Bruce Lesley and Lisa Shapiro of First Focus (Editor’s Note: This blog originally appeared on the Huffington Post.) As is the ritual in Washington every two years, this week Congress began a new legislative session with Republican John Boehner (R-OH) holding the Speaker’s gavel. In remarks opening the 112th Session, Speaker Boehner recognized the…
-
Ringing in 2011 by Celebrating Progress in Children’s Coverage
By Vikki Wachino, Director of Family and Children’s Health Programs Group, CMS The New Year began just a few days ago, and many of us are just winding down from the festivities. But, if you’re still hearing the sounds of revelry, it may be the states that are continuing to celebrate the CHIPRA performance bonuses…
-
CMS Spreads Holiday Cheer to States Doing An Outstanding Job of Improving Enrollment of Uninsured Children in Medicaid
The holidays are looking a little brighter for fifteen states that are receiving performance bonuses from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their successful efforts to improve enrollment of uninsured children in Medicaid. These states should be proud of their efforts, which are particularly impressive in the context of the budget problems confronting…
-
Medicaid Matters: Ensuring a Strong Pediatric Benefit for Kids in Medicaid
Last week I attended a meeting of a new EPSDT Working Group convened by Cindy Mann, Deputy Administrator of CMS and top dog at Medicaid and CHIP. EPSDT stands for Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment – Medicaid’s comprehensive benefit for children — the definitive standard of pediatric care recommended by the American Academy of…
-
Unprecedented Results for Kids Coverage in Massachusetts: Lessons for the Nation
By Brian Rosman, Health Care for All Massachusetts This week Massachusetts officials released the latest data from their 2010 state insurance survey. The survey provided continued good news: overall, 98.1 percent of all Massachusetts residents have health coverage. This compares to a national insurance rate of around 83 percent. Remarkably, insurance coverage increased from 2009, despite…
-
GAO Finds Medicaid & CHIP Dental Care Slowly Improving
By Meg Booth and Colin Reusch, Children’s Dental Health Project It’s been almost four years since the tragedy of Deamonte Driver, a twelve-year-old Maryland boy who died due to complications of an untreated abscessed tooth. His death highlighted the worst case scenario for families struggling to find dental care. Those of you who know Children’s…
-
First Focus Examines Impact of Recession on Children
Our friends at First Focus released a report entitled “The Effect of the Recession on Child Well-Being”. The report looks at child health, food security, housing stability and child maltreatment. It underscores the importance of government programs during times of recession and finds that it will take a long time for low-income families to recover from…
-
What’s in the IT Grants for Medicaid and CHIP Advocates? (Innovator Grants – Part II)
I was really excited when I saw the HHS announcement to fund up to 5 state (or state consortia) projects to develop health exchange IT systems. Knowing the resources and time required to design, build and test these kind of systems has created much anxiety among states and advocates waiting for urgently needed federal guidance…
-
New Data and Messaging Tools Can Help Reach Uninsured Children Eligible for Medicaid or CHIP
On October 25, 2010, the National Covering Kids and Families Network hosted a webinar to present new data on who the uninsured children are and where they live, as well as new research on effective messaging to reach families of uninsured children who are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. Jenny Kenney and Juliana Macri…
-
Washington State Insurance Commissioner Stands Up for Kids
“They can’t say children, just because of their age, can’t be insured. So today I am ordering Regence to once more offer insurance coverage for children.” With those words, Washington State’s Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler, stood up for children and ordered Regence Blue Shield to “cease and desist” from eliminating its child-only policies. Regence is one…
-
HHS Announces Consumer Assistance Grants
By Joe Touschner Implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues: Today, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced about $30 million in grants to states to fund consumer assistance activities. The grants will support efforts to aid consumers in navigating health insurance, whether it is finding affordable coverage, dealing with a disputed claim denial, or applying the…
-
Administration Goes to Bat for Children With Pre-Existing Conditions
Today the Obama Administration displayed its firm commitment to stand up for children with pre-existing conditions. HHS Secretary Sebelius sent a letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners condemning the insurance industry for failing to follow through on their commitment to allow families with sick or disabled children to buy child-only insurance coverage. (As…
-
CMS Provides More Clues on How to Bring Home a CHIPRA Performance Bonus
By Joe Touschner and Tricia Brooks The single provision of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) that has generated the most questions to CCF staff has got to be the performance bonus (we love questions so keep them coming!). While funded through CHIPRA, the bonuses are awarded to states that reach the lowest-income kids…
-
Inadequate Health Plans Leave Over 14 Million Children Vulnerable
By Martha Heberlein So often, the focus has been on getting uninsured children covered. While this is certainly a very laudable goal, far less attention has been paid to the adequacy of this coverage. Does it offer benefits or cover services that meet the child’s needs? Does it allow the child to see the health…