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Medicaid

  • Modern Era Medicaid: Findings from a 50-State Survey of Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal, and Cost-Sharing Policies in Medicaid and CHIP as of January 2015

    CCFadmin

    One year into implementation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has broadened Medicaid’s base of coverage for the low-income population and accelerated state efforts to move from outdated, paper-driven enrollment processes to a new modernized enrollment experience. Given the fast-paced policy environment leading up to when the ACA’s key coverage provisions went into effect on January 1, 2014, an abbreviated report based…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation & CCF Release 50-State Survey on Medicaid and CHIP

    Tricia Brooks

    It’s that time again – the release of the annual 50-state survey on Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment, renewal and cost-sharing policies conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Today, my co-authors from Kaiser – Samantha Artiga, Jessica Stephens, and Alexandra…

  • The Importance of Medicaid Expansion to Improve Children’s Health Insurance Rates

    Alisa Chester

    By Alisa Chester and Sarah Koslov This week, two important studies confirmed our understanding that improving access to Medicaid and CHIP for children is a financially sound public investment that not only leads to greater health coverage rates but also results in increased college attendance, lower mortality rates, and higher earned wages. Together, the research…

  • Two New Reports Focus on Arizona Children Who Lost CHIP Coverage and Lessons Learned for Future

    CCFadmin

    Fourteen thousand children in Arizona lost their health insurance at the end of January 2014 when the state ended its KidsCare program for low-income children, becoming the only state in the country without an active Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Two new reports released by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families today focus…

  • Governor Haslam Announces Details of His Tennessee Medicaid Expansion Waiver

    Joan Alker

    Yesterday, Governor Haslam put some meat on the bones of the “Insure Tennessee” plan when he released more details about his version of Medicaid expansion. The Governor also called for a special session of the legislature to consider his plan to commence on Feb. 2nd. One highly publicized feature of the Tennessee plan is that…

  • Medicaid to 26: Reaching out to Former Foster Youth

    Guest

    By Kari Siddiqui, Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy One of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turned 26. However, less talked about are the strides the ACA made for youth who were in foster care. Recognizing that young…

  • Tennessee Proposal Highlights Importance of Medicaid Expansion for Residents and Providers

    CCFadmin

    By Sean Miskell This week, Governor Haslam announced his plan to expand Medicaid via a two-year pilot program called Insure Tennessee. Like other formerly recalcitrant states that are now embracing expansion, Tennessee is pursuing a state-specific approach that differs from ‘traditional’ Medicaid expansion. One element of this plan – in which the Tennessee Hospital Association…

  • Reports this Week: Multiple States Mulling Medicaid Expansion

    Adam Searing

    There has been some interesting movement this past week around the Medicaid expansion issue, especially in Tennessee.  One emerging theme continues – development of state-created alternative plans to use the Medicaid dollars while still extending health coverage to newly eligible low-income adults.  Here are some of the more interesting stories: Obviously Tennessee leads here with…

  • Communicating the Connection between Parent’s and Children’s Health in States Expanding Medicaid

    Guest

    By Liane Wong, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation It should be common sense to say that policies and programs which improve the health and well-being of parents will also help their children, right? I recently joined the Aspen Institute’s ThinkXChange to discuss priorities and emerging opportunities across the country to develop two generation approaches—where…

  • How Much is the Federal Government Spending on Children?

    Alisa Chester

    December’s issue of Health Affairs is dedicated to the subject of children’s health, particularly how children fare in the national health care system. The Scheduled Squeeze On Children’s Programs: Tracking The Implications of Projected Federal Spending Patterns, written by Urban Institute scholars C. Eugene Steuerle and Julia B. Isaacs, reviews how the federal government funds…

  • A Step Forward For Lawfully Present Immigrants Living in Poverty

    Sonya Schwartz

    It’s no secret that during last year’s open enrollment many applicants for health coverage in immigrant families faced major barriers to enrolling in marketplace coverage. One big problem was that lawfully present immigrants with income under 100 percent FPL—who are ineligible for Medicaid based on their immigration status but are eligible for premium tax credits…

  • Why Does Florida Still Have one of Highest Uninsured Rates for Kids? What Can be Done to Help?

    Joan Alker

    Earlier this week I released a brief and held a webinar with the Florida Philanthropic Network on Florida’s uninsured children. The brief provides an overview of the demographics of Florida’s kids and outlines some policy decisions that will impact Florida’s high uninsured rate in the future. It will come as no surprise to regular Say Ahhh!…

  • Wyoming Medicaid Waiver Could Pass Muster with CMS

    Joan Alker

    Just as everyone was preparing Thanksgiving dinner, the state of Wyoming released its version of Medicaid expansion – called the Strategy for Health, Access, Responsibility, and Employment (SHARE) program. As is in vogue with this round of Medicaid expansion proposals, this one will require a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver, but unlike some recent submissions, Wyoming’s…

  • A Two-Generation Approach to Behavioral Health Helps Children and Parents in North Carolina

    CCFadmin

    By Sophia Duong Research has shown that parents’ behavioral health significantly impacts their children’s development, but for many low-income parents it is difficult to seek behavioral health treatment without health coverage. My home state of North Carolina recognizes the connection between parent and child health, and provides a child-parent treatment approach through Medicaid. In North…

  • Children’s Health Coverage in Florida: Fewer Uninsured But Challenges Lie Ahead

    CCFadmin

    Florida’s rate of uninsured children has declined in recent years, though it remains considerably higher than that of the nation and other southeastern states. This encouraging trend could be disrupted, however, by policy decisions in 2015 that could negatively impact as many as 400,000 children. This brief examines why Florida has one of the highest…

  • Policy Brief: Resolving Enrollment Conflicts as States Expand Medicaid

    CCFadmin

    I wrote about this issue a couple months ago here on the blog and there was enough interest we’ve turned that piece into a policy brief.  Basically, states moving towards expanding Medicaid have to deal with the fact that significant numbers of people who will now be eligible for Medicaid are already enrolled in health plans…

  • The President’s Immigration Announcement: What Do Health Policy Wonks Need to Know?

    Sonya Schwartz

    Last Thursday, President Obama announced immigration reforms that will provide up to five million people with relief from deportation and work authorization. While the reforms will do much to alleviate the constant fear of separation that many immigrant families face, most people included in the reforms will not be eligible for federal health coverage affordability…

  • OIG Report: States, Feds Must Do More to Ensure Kids on Medicaid Get Essential Screenings

    CCFadmin

    By Sean Miskell The Medicaid program includes screening requirements intended to ensure that any developmental or medical issues children encounter are identified and addressed by health care providers. However, a new report from a federal watchdog finds that both the states and the federal government must do more to guarantee that children are receiving these…

  • Medicaid Expansion: Post Election Discussion in Some States Maturing from Political to Practical

    Adam Searing

    Last week the New York Times editorialized on “The Fate of Medicaid Expansion” arguing that such efforts had “suffered a blow in the midterm elections” and that the odds for expansion “have grown longer.” The Times was echoing a general strain of conventional wisdom since the midterms following the reelection of governors who are expansion…

  • We Can Reach the Finish Line on Health Coverage for Hispanic Kids

    Sonya Schwartz

    Ensuring that every child in America has the protection of health care coverage is an attainable goal. Today, in partnership with National Council of La Raza, we released a 50-state analysis of health coverage for Hispanic children. Our analysis found that Washington, DC is just a step away from the finish line already with 99…