Medicaid
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Medicaid: Legislation, Regulation and Guidance
Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families contributes an independent perspective to the public dialogue on the future of Medicaid through the lens of children and their families.
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New MACPAC Report Released
By Martha Heberlein What an exciting week for data lovers! First the CBO Baseline was released and yesterday MACPAC put out their March report. As usual, it’s chock full of goodies! This edition of the report has 4 chapters (not to mention the always appreciated MACStats!). The first chapter focuses on the more than 9…
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A New Online Path to Children’s Health Care Coverage
Gene Lewit, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Living in Silicon Valley, I am used to reading about new tech wonders every day. In fact, today, we use the internet to do many things we used to do in person, by snailmail or on the telephone. This trend is encouraged by new technology, but has…
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What’s the Score? CBO’s Updated Baseline Released
By Martha Heberlein I don’t know what you did yesterday, but I spent the day eagerly awaiting CBO’s annual March baseline. As the “official scorekeepers” in Washington, their projections of spending and enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP, and coverage under the exchanges carry a lot of weight. Besides, who wouldn’t love the neat little tables they produce…
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A Double Benefit – More Kids Enrolled and Administrative Savings
We have long been fans of the enormous success that Louisiana has had in improving retention among children in Medicaid and CHIP through administrative renewals and ex parte. I mean, really, who wouldn’t be wowed by the fact that just 1% of children lose coverage at renewal for procedural reasons! Not to mention the low, low…
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Continuous Coverage – Critical for Chronic Conditions
By Tara Mancini Our Say Ahhh! audience is certainly aware of the benefits of implementing continuous coverage, namely, how it can improve health outcomes for beneficiaries while also decreasing administrative and utilization costs. As of January 1, 2012, 28 states offer 12-month continuous eligibility in their CHIP programs (23 in Medicaid). Alabama is one of…
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HHS Gives States an Extension on Exchange Establishment Funding Requests
“Be careful what you wish for” is the adage that came to mind when HHS announced it planned to extend the final deadline for applying for Level II exchange establishment funding from June 29, 2012 to November 3, 2014. The announcement published in the federal register today proposed to set the rolling deadline for Level…
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Public Programs that Work – Good News on Children’s Coverage
By Eugene Lewit, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Late last year, while official Washington and its pundits were busy deconstructing the failure of the “Super Committee” and the rest of us were planning our holiday celebrations, the National Center for Health Statistics quietly released its 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Among other…
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Keeping Care Affordable: CMS Stands up for California Kids
By Michael Odeh, Children Now Earlier this month the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made an important ruling that truly embraces the “AFFORDABLE” in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Health care services and economics research over the past four decades has clearly shown that unaffordable cost-sharing in health care can be a…
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Let the Sun Shine: Section 1115 Medicaid and CHIP Waivers Transparency Rule Finally Issued!
So my children think this is weird, but I was really happy yesterday because CMS issued the final regulations on Section 1115 waivers. CMS also issued final rules on so-called “State Innovation” waivers that will be available through the Affordable Care Act, but since those don’t go into effect until 2017 we will come back…
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Navigating Medicaid, CHIP and the Exchanges
States are busily working to transform their tugboat-type eligibility and enrollment systems into sleek 12-meter racing yachts of the America’s Cup variety. But will simplified, streamlined eligibility and enrollment systems mean smooth sailing for everyone? Not likely. No matter how fast and dynamic these new systems are, it still will take all hands on deck…
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New Study Examines the Impact of Premiums on Enrollment
In the last year, we’ve examined the potential impact of proposed premium changes in Florida and Wisconsin, but a new study in Health Affairs provides some real-world data on what actually happens when premiums rise (not that we in any way condone experiments in children’s coverage of this sort). Healthy Kids in Los Angeles County is…
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Good News for Utah’s Children: CMS Upholds Key Affordability and Benefit Protections
By Lincoln Nehring, Voices for Utah Children In 2011 Utah passed SB 180, Medicaid Reform. As with many Medicaid reform efforts happening across the country, SB 180’s broad theme was good: control costs through improved care management and quality. However, also like many Medicaid reform efforts happening around the country, Utah’s “improved quality” theme came…
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President’s Budget Meets with Predictable Response in Unpredictable Year
By Jocelyn Guyer With the release of the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget proposal yesterday, CCF staff have begun the annual ritual of digging through lengthy documents and tables to untangle what it might mean for the health care coverage of children and families. It is a challenging task in the best of times, but…
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Medicaid Growth Slows; Medicaid Directors’ Innovative Efforts Expand
By Tara Mancini Overall, the economic conditions surrounding state Medicaid budgets are continuing to improve, even as states make their way through the first full budget year after the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act enhanced FMAP funding expired. In January 2012, unemployment hit a three year low of 8.3 percent, down from 9.4 percent a…
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Good News for Florida’s Kids: The State’s Attempt to Charge Unaffordable Medicaid Premiums Won’t Go Forward
Friday was a good day for Florida’s kids. The federal government indicated that the state would not be allowed to proceed with a proposal, passed by the legislature last spring, to charge all Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans $10 a month regardless of income or age. It is important to note that much…
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State Tax Revenue Continues to Rise
By Martha Heberlein According to a new report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government, total state tax revenues grew for the 7th straight quarter. Comparing the 3rd quarters of 2011 and 2010, total tax revenues increased by about 6%. Nearly every state (save Alabama, California, and Delaware) saw increases in total tax revenue, with 12…
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Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs Provides Important Data
By Tara Mancini Say Ahhh! readers should know about an important new data source on Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN); the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. This is the third survey in this series, which is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and conducted by…
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National Groups Express Concerns About Wisconsin’s Waiver
By Wesley Prater Many thanks to the organizations that joined us in submitting a letter to federal officials in opposition of Wisconsin’s request to waive maintenance of effort provisions. These provisions are so valuable to families because they preserve stability in states’ Medicaid and CHIP programs. Groups such as the AARP, American Heart Association, Center…
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Something to Celebrate
By Gretchen Hammer, Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved This month, All Kids Covered released Crossing the Finish Line: Achieving Meaningful Health Care Coverage and Access for All Children in Colorado. The report provides an update on the current status of meaningful health care coverage and access for children in Colorado, and describes the significant…