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  • Inside Deficit Reduction: What it Means for Health Care

    Event Date:
    Event

    After much heated debate on the U.S. debt limit, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was passed on August 2, 2011, containing more than $900 billion in federal spending reductions over 10 years. The law also established the 12-person “super committee” charged with finding more than $1 trillion in additional savings. What exactly is called for in the law? What are the implications for health care programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and the Patient Protection…

  • Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA)

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides an overview of provisions of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), which was signed into law in February 2009. The Act extends and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (now referred to as CHIP, not SCHIP) that was enacted with bipartisan support a decade ago as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). Fact Sheet (.pdf) Fact Sheet: State Adoption of Coverage and Enrollment…

  • A Historical Review of How States Have Responded to the Availability of Federal Funds for Health Coverage

    Issue Brief

    This historical review finds that the availability of federal funds has served as an effective incentive for states to provide health coverage to meet the health and long-term care needs of their low-income residents despite state budget pressures. The brief examines the history of earlier experiences and provides important context for how states may respond as they weigh the costs and benefits of expanding their Medicaid programs in 2014 as called for under the Affordable…

  • Secrets to Success: An Analysis of Four States at the Forefront of the Nation’s Gains in Children’s Health Coverage

    Issue Brief

    This analysis, based on site visits and interviews with key stakeholders, examines the experiences of Alabama, Iowa, Massachusetts and Oregon in significantly improving health coverage of children in recent years through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Several common themes underlie these states' successful efforts: At least one state political leader made coverage of children a top priority. All four states have expanded eligibility for children to 300 percent of poverty and have streamlined…

  • Performing Under Pressure: Annual Findings of a 50-State Survey of Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal, and Cost-Sharing Policies in Medicaid and CHIP, 2011-2012

    Report

    The annual 50-state survey of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility rules, enrollment and renewal procedures and cost-sharing practices, conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, found that, despite continued fiscal pressures on states, eligibility policies remained stable in nearly all state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs during 2011. Moreover, many states used technology to increase program efficiency and streamline enrollment. The "maintenance of…

  • Coverage of Low-Income Children: Key Issues to Consider in Health Reform

    Issue Brief

    A key element of health reform will be meeting the needs of low-income children. Overall, a major goal of proposals is to expand coverage by building on Medicaid, providing subsidies to low- and moderate-income individuals to buy coverage through new health insurance exchanges, and requiring individuals to obtain coverage. Current proposals also could significantly change coverage for some children already eligible for Medicaid and CHIP. This issue brief examines several key issues to consider about…

  • Health Coverage in an Economic Downturn: Impact of Tight Budgets on Families and States

    Fact Sheet

    The economic downturn has strained family finances and prompted some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care and visits to the doctor. At the same time, the downturn has triggered declines in tax revenue that inhibit states’ ability to meet rising Medicaid program costs as enrollment spikes during economic hard times. Many states are expected to struggle to close budget gaps despite moves by Congress and the Obama Administration to temporarily boost…

  • CHIP Enrollment: June 2011 Data Snapshot

    Issue Brief

    This data snapshot provides the latest data on Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment and policy trends nationally and across the states through June 2011, based on survey responses and data provided by CHIP directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report finds that in June 2011, the number of children enrolled in CHIP reached 5.3 million. From June 2010 to June 2011, an additional 178,000 children enrolled in CHIP programs…

  • Federal Core Requirements And State Options In Medicaid: Current Policies And Key Issues

    Fact Sheet

    Medicaid is a jointly financed partnership between the federal government and states. The federal-state financing and administrative structure of Medicaid provides a framework of federal core requirements along with broad state options for program design and administration. This issue brief presents an overview of the current Medicaid program framework, with a focus on eligibility, benefits and cost sharing, care delivery and provider payment, long-term services and supports, and dual eligibles, as well as key issues…