Medicaid
has transformed health care for low-income families and individuals, especially children, pregnant mothers, parents and children with disabilities and special health care needs.
Why are There More Uninsured Kids and What Can We Do About It?
Yesterday the Census Bureau released one of its annual surveys (the Current Population Survey or CPS), which looks at health insurance status. This year, in an unusual move, the Bureau actually released a mini special report focusing on children. While we await more data at the end of the month from the American Community Survey […]
US Census: 425,000 More Uninsured Children
Statement by Joan Alker, in response to Current Population Survey data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today showing that the number of uninsured children increased by 425,000, and the uninsured rate increased by 0.6 percentage points to 5.5 percent in 2018. “Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today confirm our worst fears. An […]
State Flexibility Has Its Limits — Even for the Trump Administration
Like many others, I was out of Washington for the second half of August. That tends to be the period of time when Administrations publicly announce decisions they want buried. And when it comes to Medicaid waivers, the timing may not have been intentional, but what happened in August is worth unearthing to examine more […]
Repealing the Medicaid Access Rule is Bad News for Children and Providers
On July 15, CMS proposed to repeal—but not replace—the Access Rule. Repeal of this important rule will leave children in Medicaid fee-for-service, as well as their providers, with no systematic assessment of their access to services and no procedural protections against arbitrary payment cuts. (This could be especially problematic in the event of a recession, […]
Advancing Early Relational Health in Child Health and Communities: Opportunities for Medicaid Support
Early relational health (ERH) is a dynamic concept that has emerged in the last few years from leaders in pediatrics, public health, early childhood mental health, and child health policy. ERH elevates the primacy of the earliest relational experiences and interactions between infants and their caregivers that builds the foundations for health, learning, and social […]
What Has Happened to the 1+ Million Children Who Have Lost Medicaid/CHIP Coverage?
The Census Bureau is expected to release topline findings from the American Community Survey next week that will include 2018 data on uninsured children. We have been anxiously awaiting these data since we first alerted Medicaid/CHIP stakeholders to the precipitous decline in Medicaid/CHIP early this year. Since then we have continued to monthly monitor enrollment […]
