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Adults at Greater Risk of Severe Illness When Infected With Coronavirus If Kids Go Back to In-Person School
FeatureMillions of people at school and at home could be at heightened risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 if they become infected from kids returning to school in person. 3.3 million seniors live with school-age children and 1.5 million teachers are at risk due to their age or underlying health conditions. Learn more in this Chart of the Week.
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Trends in Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Over Time
ReportWhile Medicaid and CHIP eligibility has increased over time, there is significant variation in eligibility levels across states and eligibility groups. This analysis examines trends in Medicaid and CHIP eligibility limits over time for children, pregnant women, parents, and other adults. It also explores how trends in eligibility for these groups vary by several variables, including geographic region, Medicaid expansion status, and state health ranking.
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Current Flexibility in Medicaid: An Overview of Federal Standards and State Options
Issue BriefThe Trump Administration and new Congress have indicated that they will seek to cap Medicaid financing through a block grant or per capita cap, reduce federal funding for the program, and offer states increased flexibility to manage their programs within this more limited financing structure. The size of the federal reductions as well as which federal program standards would remain in place and what increased flexibility might be provided to states under such proposals would have significant implications. To help inform discussion around increased flexibility, this brief provides an overview of current federal standards and state options in Medicaid and how states have responded to these options in four key areas: eligibility, benefits, premiums and cost sharing, and provider payments and delivery systems.
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New Publications Examine SCHIP Experience; Trends in Access to Medicaid and SCHIP Coverage
Fact SheetMaintaining and expanding health coverage for children and parents will likely be in the forefront of health care policy debates in Washington and state capitols in 2007.
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Making the Most of Medicaid: Promoting the Health of Women and Infants With Preconception Care
ReportThis article examines the evolution and current role of Medicaid in improving access to preconception care for low-income women. It reviews Medicaid's eligibility policy and benefits of relevance to women of reproductive age, and discusses challenges facing the program.
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State Recommendations for Routine Childhood Vaccines: Increasing Departure from Federal Guidelines
Policy WatchStarting in May of last year, HHS Secretary Kennedy and the CDC/ACIP began to make changes to the federal vaccine schedule for children, culminating in an announcement on January 5 of this year with the most wide-ranging changes to date. This policy brief tracks the number of states that have announced they are no longer following federal government recommendations for childhood vaccines as of January 20, 2026.
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ACA Preventive Services at the Supreme Court
Quick TakeIf the Court rules in favor of Braidwood, private health insurers would no longer be required to cover, without cost sharing, certain preventive services recommended by USPTF after 2010 when the ACA was enacted.
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How Could the Build Back Better Act Affect Uninsured Children?
Issue BriefThis brief examines characteristics of uninsured children in 2020 and discusses how current policy proposals, including outreach efforts, continuous eligibility requirements, and closing the coverage gap, could affect children’s health coverage. Recent efforts to expand coverage for adults could benefit children’s coverage, especially for children in non-expansion states if the coverage gap is filled as proposed by the Build Back Better Act (BBBA).
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Medicaid Policy Approaches to Facilitating Access to Vaccines for Low-Income Children
Policy WatchFollowing the recent US Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation, children ages 5-11 are now eligible to receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine. There may be unique challenges to vaccinating young children, particularly those from low-income families who may face additional barriers to access. State Medicaid programs and Medicaid managed care plans are looking at a range of policy options to facilitate access to vaccines for young, low-income children.