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This report presents information on the number of children enrolled in SCHIP for each state, for specific months from 1998 to June 2002. As of June 2002, the SCHIP program covered 3.6 million low-income children. An increase of 571,000 from the previous June. REPORT Download
The current economy is a key concern as federal and state leaders worry about the expected rise in unemployment and the related loss of employer health coverage. Policymakers are considering several options to ensure that we do not experience a health coverage crisis as we deal with the impact of the September 11th tragedy and ongoing concerns. In addition, states that were already preparing for budget problems are reporting even worse scenarios for their fiscal…
A new report details how the practice of express lane eligibility, or utilizing information from other public benefit programs, can quicken the enrollment of low-income children into the Medicaid and CHIP programs. REPORT Download
This article, authored by Diane Rowland, Alina Salganicoff, and Patricia Keenan of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, assesses Medicaid's contributions as a public financing program for health insurance coverage for the poor over the last three decades. It reviews Medicaid's impact on the low-income population and discusses the limitations of the program as a strategy for improving the health of low-income groups. While gaps in coverage and limitations in access persist between…
This issue brief explores how California and other states are attempting to preserve a meaningful set of benefits under Medicaid during the current budget crisis, when services are most needed and state resources are most scarce. This brief is being distributed in Sacramento at the latest California Health Policy Roundtable on Tuesday, May 13, 2003. Invitation to the California Health Policy Roundtable Issue Brief: Presentation by Victoria Wachino, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured…
This report includes case studies of how seven states (California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Washington) coped with budgetary problems and how these problems impacted Medicaid and SCHIP. Report
The 50 state survey of enrollment simplification and renewal procedural reforms, shows that states continue to take steps to transform the Medicaid program from its origins as a welfare-based program into something resembling a more traditional health insurance program. Report (.pdf) >>All 50-State Children's Health Coverage Reports
Medicaid for Children and CHIP Guidelines and Eligibility for Enrollment Report
In Their Own Words: Family Profiles As the U.S. Congress and state legislatures explore policies to cover the uninsured, the Commission has profiled four families with uninsured members, including their family budgets, to better understand how specific policy ideas will practically affect typical uninsured Americans. Family Profiles Read the full report, "In Their Own Words: The Uninsured Talk About Living Without Health Insurance"
A new background report examines Santa Clara County in California in its effort to provide health insurance coverage (Children's Health Initiative or CHI) to all children living in the county. As one of the first localities to attempt such an initiative, its experiences can highlight important lessons and potential best practices for policymakers at the county, state, and national level considering coverage expansions for children. Also see Lessons from the Field: Increasing Enrollment in Children's…
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