CHIP
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Medicaid and CHIP Don’t Exclude Sick Kids
As states continue to grapple with insurance companies ceasing to write child-only insurance policies now that they are required to cover kids with pre-existing conditions, we are reminded of one simple fact – Medicaid and CHIP don’t exclude sick kids. These cost-effective public programs have long been a lifeline for low-income children, and for children…
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A Champion Fills a Critical Role at CMS
By Shelby Gonzales Center on Budget and Policy Priorities In 2008, Linda Nablo was recognized as a Child Health Champion for her relentless work to improve children’s health coverage programs in Virginia. Having known Linda for many years, I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor. As you can imagine, I was quite thrilled to…
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Another Tool in Our Data Belt
By Martha Heberlein Earlier today, the Census Bureau released health coverage estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). The results look very similar to what was reported a few weeks ago from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Overall, since 2008, the percentage of the uninsured increased, as did the percentage of those in poverty. The…
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Kansas Tackles Backlog with Commonsense Solutions to Improve Efficiency
By Suzanne Wikle of Kansas Action for Children At a time when I can pay my bills using an Iphone or Blackbery, it seems a no-brainer that states should be pursuing more technological fixes to simplify and streamline processes to ensuring that families are able to access health insurance through Healthwave, Kansas’ Medicaid and Children’s Health…
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In Sickness and in Health: Are Insurers Breaking their Vow to Cover Kids with Pre-existing Conditions?
The wedding date for most provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may be January 1, 2014 but we’re celebrating the engagement tomorrow, September 23, 2010, when a number of insurance market reforms go into effect for new plans. These early wins for children and families include the end of insurance industry discrimination against children with…
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Kaiser Video Explains Affordable Care Act
Six months after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, most people still don’t know what’s in it, according to a recent Associated Press Poll. For those of you feeling frustrated by the fact that the public still doesn’t seem to understand the new law despite your best efforts, take heart in…
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Rising to the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge
By Cathy Kaufman, Oregon Healthy Kids It was a proud day for Oregon last month when our Healthy Kids Program was hailed as a national model by U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Secretary Sebelius paid a visit to Cleveland High School in Portland to help launch a new Healthy Kids Sports Campaign,…
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New Grant Opportunity for States to Work on Streamlining and Coordinating Programs Including Medicaid and CHIP
A new opportunity for states to further their efforts in streamlining and coordinating public benefit programs has been announced by the Ford Foundation and its partners, the Urban Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “Work Support Strategies: Streamlining Access, Strengthening Families” aims to provide a select group of states with the opportunity…
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RIte Care and Rhode Island’s Family Resource Counselor Program Highlighted as National Models
By Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Rhode Island was proud to be one of three states highlighted in a video at Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge event on September 3, 2010. Rhode Island’s successful RIte Care health insurance program and our Family Resource Counselor program were both featured as models…
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CK2C Event Inspires Action in States
By Ann Bacharach, Pennsylvania Law Project and National Covering Kids and Families Network I took a break from my stay-cation this week to get motivated for the fall. On behalf of the National Covering Kids and Families Network, I took the early morning train from Philadelphia to Washington on Friday to attend the re-launch of…
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Kids Don’t Have to Wait – Connecting Kids to Coverage Event Makes Case for Enrolling Kids Now
By Jocelyn Guyer I had a chance to go to a fantastic event this morning sponsored by Secretary Sebelius on the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge, which aims to reach the nation’s 4.7 million uninsured children who already are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. She made a compelling pitch that nothing is more important to…
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Data Helps Focus Efforts to Connect Kids to Coverage
By Martha Heberlein Most of you know the CPS – the annual social and economic supplement (ASEC) has been our go to source for health insurance coverage on a national and state-by-state basis for years. However, given the nature of the sample, analysis has been somewhat limited, especially for those smaller states and for those…
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Location Matters
By Martha Heberlein I know I’ve said it dozens of times – states are different. Like people themselves, they have their own characteristics, quirks, and personalities that make them unique. But what about within states – are there differences of note? Why, of course (I’m sure we can all think of a long list of…
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Getting Kids Covered and in the Game
Last week, Cindy Mann blogged about the importance of kids’ coverage on healthcare.gov. “As back-to-school time approaches, families are thinking about making sure their children have every opportunity to learn. Now is also the time to make sure that kids have the coverage they need to be healthy – the first step to a successful…
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Get Covered: Get In the Game Initiative is a Great Idea
By Suzanne Schlattman, Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc. This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Get Covered. Get in the Game initiative which will be launched in seven pilot states across the country including: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Ohio and Wisconsin. The initiative brings together coaches, schools, and communities to educate families with children…
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Moms Rising, Fran Drescher & HHS Discuss Preventive Care Provisions of Affordable Care Act
Moms Rising members had an opportunity to ask Secretary Sebelius questions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during a recent webchat hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Actress Fran Drescher, founder of Cancer Schmancer, joined the conversation and spoke about how the ACA’s preventive care provisions and insurance reforms will help…
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Covering Kids and Families Network Shares Tips on Back-to-School Enrollment Efforts; CMS to Host Follow-up Webinar Thursday
Summer vacation is not even half over and I’m already thinking about getting my kids ready to go back-to school. It’s not that I don’t enjoy their company; I just want to get a jump-start on my to-do list so that I deliver them to school ready to learn. Along with back-to-school shopping, they need…
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Insurance Commissioners Meet on Exchanges: Medicaid and CHIP
Last week, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners held a first of many planned meetings on health care reform. In many ways, state insurance commissioners, have become the front lines of health reform implementation as they are responsible for ensuring that health plans are compliant with the insurance reforms in the Affordable Care Act and they…
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Wisconsin Shows How States Can Mitigate the Downside of New Puerto Rico Law
By Jon Peacock, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families It isn’t often that state policymakers have to make program changes and policy choices because of a law passed in another state or territory of the U.S. Thus, it came as a big surprise to learn that a law enacted in Puerto Rico forces states to…
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Advocates Can Guide and Support Efforts to Advance Children’s Coverage: Reports Show How
By Eugene Lewit and Liane Wong The David and Lucile Packard Foundation The percent of uninsured children has consistently declined, despite deterioration of coverage for adults and the economy. This is one of the significant but frequently overlooked good news stories of recent years. The gains in children’s coverage have been due in large part to…