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Medicaid

  • Cuts to Medicaid Pregnancy Coverage: Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

    Tricia Brooks

    By Tricia Brooks and Sophia Duong, Maryland and Ohio are considering rolling back Medicaid coverage for pregnant women. Currently, Maryland’s eligibility level is at 259% FPL, and Ohio’s eligibility threshold rests at 200% FPL (not including the standard 5 percentage point disregard). Governors Hogan and Kasich’s proposed budgets cut these eligible income levels, but how…

  • Arkansas Approves Private Option Improving Security for Families, Hospitals & State Budget

    Guest

    By Marquita Little, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families Arkansas’s unique approach to Medicaid expansion, known as the Private Option, has been a success during its short lifespan. However, some state policy makers want to see the program end. Within just a couple weeks of being sworn in as the new Governor, Asa Hutchinson spoke…

  • Getting MAGI Right: Current Monthly Income vs. Projected Annual Income

    Tricia Brooks

    Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes but to further complicate things, there are some differences that apply…

  • Lessons in the Defeat of Tennessee Governor Haslam’s Medicaid Expansion Plan

    Adam Searing

    In a disappointing committee vote yesterday Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s carefully crafted state-specific plan for using federal Medicaid expansion dollars was rejected. A state budget cost-neutral financing mechanism through hospital fees and multiple other provisions that would have made the plan a significant showcase of conservative health policy ideas were not enough to obtain legislative…

  • Getting MAGI Right: Changes to Income Counting Rules in Medicaid and CHIP

    Tricia Brooks

    Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes in Medicaid and CHIP, but to further complicate things, there are…

  • How Do Updated 2015 Federal Poverty Level Thresholds Impact Medicaid, CHIP & Premium Tax Credit Eligibility?

    Tricia Brooks

    Over the weekend, Healthcare.gov uploaded the new 2015 federal poverty levels (FPL) to use in assessing eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP. What does this mean to consumers applying for coverage? Let’s start with eligibility for Marketplace subsidies. For 2015 calendar year coverage, regardless of when someone applies or enrolls, eligibility is based on the 2014…

  • Getting MAGI Right: When Does Social Security Income Count?

    Tricia Brooks

    UPDATED VERSION HERE Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes in Medicaid and CHIP, but to further complicate…

  • Millions Gain Coverage Through Affordable Care Act – What’s Medicaid Got to Do With It?

    Alisa Chester

    Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released Medicaid enrollment data that sheds light into how many people have gained Medicaid coverage though the Affordable Care Act. According to CMS, more than 3.2 million Medicaid beneficiaries were able to sign up for Medicaid in 22 expansion states because they fell into the…

  • Need Help Learning Eligibility Rules and Application Process for Families with Immigrants?

    Sonya Schwartz

    With less than two weeks left until the end of Open Enrollment two, assisters are racing to get everyone covered, including families with immigrants, often among the most difficult cases.  I recently had a chance to help train more than 800 consumer assisters about how to overcome barriers to eligibility and enrollment for health coverage programs…

  • Getting MAGI Right: An Assisters Worksheet for Determining Household Size in Medicaid and CHIP

    Tricia Brooks

    Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes, but to further complicate things, there are some differences that apply…

  • Getting MAGI Right: Exceptions for Who Counts in the Household for Medicaid and CHIP

    Tricia Brooks

    Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes in Medicaid and CHIP, but to further complicate things, there are…

  • Anticipated Cuts to Uncompensated Care Funds Increase Pressure on Florida to Expand Medicaid

    Joan Alker

    Today I had the pleasure of joining the League of Women Voters of Florida and Florida Legal Services on a conference call to discuss a topic of utmost importance – the decision facing Florida’s policy makers as to whether or not to expand Medicaid – especially in light of the scheduled expiration of Florida’s Low…

  • Indiana Becomes the 29th State (Including DC) to Expand Medicaid

    Joan Alker

    [Editor’s Note:  The terms and conditions and letter issued by federal CMS are available through these links: agreement, special terms and conditions and letter.] Today Governor Mike Pence received approval from federal CMS for a Section 1115 waiver to implement his Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP2.0) and extend coverage to as many as 350,000 Hoosiers –…

  • Indiana Agreement Wins the Award for Bureaucratic Complexity and Red Tape

    Joan Alker

    I am still waiting for paper but here is what I know about Indiana so far. The good news is that Indiana becomes the 29th state (including D.C.) to extend Medicaid coverage. The less than good news is that this is an enormously complicated program which will likely prevent some low-income adults from getting the…

  • CMS Clarifies Health Coverage Options for Low-Income Pregnant Women

    Cathy Hope

    It’s critical that expectant mothers have access to comprehensive, affordable coverage and continuity of care during this critical time of life. The Affordable Care Act expanded coverage options for pregnant women but the intersection of these changes to the law with other state and federal policies is a bit confusing to untangle. Recent federal guidance…

  • 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…