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Vulnerable Populations

  • Taking it to the streets: New ways to get uninsured kids enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP

    Guest

    by Sheila Hoag, Senior Researcher, and Debra Lipson, Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research Traditionally, state and local Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) staff have conducted outreach to uninsured children eligible to help enroll them into these public coverage options. Advocates have also organized public education campaigns and enrollment events. Despite dramatic progress in…

  • More than 400,000 Lose Marketplace Coverage: Let’s Fix This and Keep People Covered

    Sonya Schwartz

    Along with the headline yesterday that nearly 10 million consumers paid their premiums and had an active marketplace health insurance policy as of the end of June 2015, there was very disappointing news. The federally facilitated marketplace (FFM) already terminated overage for about 423,000 people with 2015 coverage who had immigration or citizenship status data matching…

  • CMS Gives States Permanent Option to Use SNAP Data to Enroll and Renew Medicaid and CHIP

    Tricia Brooks

    It started out as a targeted enrollment strategy – a fast and efficient way to get eligible people enrolled in the ACA’s expanded coverage options by using SNAP enrollment to identify low-income beneficiaries who were income eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid. After all, gross income eligibility for SNAP (aka food stamps) at 130% FPL…

  • Coverage for Immigrant Children and Families in California

    Sonya Schwartz

    Now Playing: Coverage for more than 400,000 children and youth Coming Soon: Coverage for more than 800,000 additional immigrant children, youth and parents This week, Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families and The Children’s Partnership released a new paper outlining how to get ready for big coverage opportunities in California. It highlights opportunities that will…

  • Immigration Relief for Parents and Youth = Whole Family Health Coverage in California

    Sonya Schwartz

    On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced immigration executive actions that include a new program and an expansion of an existing program. The new program, “Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents”(DAPA), provides temporary work authorization and protection from deportation for certain undocumented parents with U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR)…

  • Proposed Legislation Will Fix Medicaid Glitch for Former Foster Youth Who Move

    Tricia Brooks

    I’ve written before about an unintended flaw in the Affordable Care Act that relates to Medicaid eligibility for former foster youth. The simple use of the words “the” versus “a” state has led to an interpretation of the law that allows states to deny coverage to young adults who were in foster care in a…

  • Even Though it is Turning 50, Medicaid is Still a Children’s Program

    Joan Alker

    Today marks 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicaid program into law in 1965. The program has continued to evolve since then – playing a key role in our health care system serving low-income families, people with disabilities, HIV, and those receiving long term care. The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid eligibility for…

  • Time to Celebrate! California Will Provide Health Coverage for All Kids, Regardless of Immigration Status

    Sonya Schwartz

    It is now time to uncork the champagne and celebrate! California’s Governor, Jerry Brown, signed a budget that includes health coverage for all low-income children, regardless of immigration status today. Under the signed budget, California will provide coverage for allow-income children regardless of immigration status. Coverage would begin in May 2016. The expansion is projected…

  • California Moving Toward Health Coverage for All Kids, Regardless of Immigration Status

    Sonya Schwartz

    While I was in Oakland, California meeting with child health advocates on Tuesday, we received great news about a big step forward for kids (no, it was not that the Oakland Warriors won the NBA playoffs!). State legislative leaders and the Governor announced a budget agreement that included a commitment to expand health coverage to…

  • California Moves to Cover All Children Regardless of Immigration Status Lessons From County Programs Paved the Way

    Guest

    By Gene Lewit On Tuesday in California, legislative leaders and the Governor agreed on a 2015-16 budget bill that would allow all otherwise-eligible children to enroll in the state’s Medicaid program, regardless of their immigration status. The agreement includes $40 million in funding for children’s coverage that would begin in May 2016. An estimated 170,000…

  • New Study Confirms Importance of Medicaid/CHIP Maintenance of Effort

    Alisa Chester

    During the debate on CHIP, conversations focused a lot on what would happen to kids’ coverage without the program. Now that Congress has extended CHIP funding through 2017, we look to the future. In the near-term, if no new funds are available after 2017, states may eliminate their separate CHIP programs. Further, many Say Ahhh!…

  • Confused About What Happens at Tax Time (Part Two)? People in Immigrant Families

    Sonya Schwartz

    Now that we are knee-deep in tax season, we have heard reports of confusion about new tax filing rules related to health coverage for people in immigrant families. Here are some of the common questions we’ve heard so far and our answers. Q: Are noncitizens subject to the tax penalty (or the individual shared responsibility…

  • Critiquing the Performance as the Curtain Closes on OE2

    Tricia Brooks

    A big round of applause as the curtain drops at the end of the second open enrollment period for the health insurance marketplaces with more than 11 million people signing up at the box office. OE2, as it’s affectionately called, was part sequel, part new production. Throughout its run, which was just over half the…

  • OE2: A Round Up of Questions from Consumer Assisters During the Second Year of the Affordable Care Act

    JoAnn Volk

    As part of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded project providing technical assistance to navigators and assisters in five states with federally run marketplaces, a joint team of experts from Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and the Center for Children and Families have received a broad range of questions since open enrollment began…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • CCF to MACPAC: CHIP Should Continue While Policymakers Work to Improve Marketplace Coverage for Kids

    CCFadmin

    By Sean Miskell As the expiration of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) approaches and policy makers consider its role in the new health coverage landscape, it’s a good time to take stock of CHIP coverage and whether or not comparable and affordable coverage is available to families through the new health insurance…

  • Are People in Immigrant Families Gaining Coverage Under Health Reform?

    Sonya Schwartz

    I tried to answer this question for a presentation at an immigration conference right before the holidays. Unfortunately, although we are in our second open enrollment season under health reform, we can’t fully answer this question yet. What we do know indicates that we are making some progress but have a lot more work to…

  • 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…