Medicaid: Publications
Precarious Position: States Must Balance Declining Revenues with a Growing Need for Medicaid Several states are proposing to balance their budgets by cutting Medicaid—raising cost-sharing, shrinking eligibility, or reducing benefits. This issue brief discusses Medicaid cuts in a number of states and recommends congressional action to bring fiscal relief to the states. 12 pp. Free (July 2008)
Five Good Reasons to Increase Health Coverage for Parents discusses the reasons why states should strengthen the health and economic security of families by expanding health coverage for parents. 4 pp. Free (July 2008)
Bad Medicine: The President's Medicaid Regulations Will Weaken State Economies The Bush Administration issued seven new Medicaid regulations in 2007 that together will strip an estimated $50 billion in federal funds from states over the next five years. These state-specific reports quantify the impact that these changes will have on state economies. 4 pp. Free (April 2008)
9 Million Children and Counting: The Administration's Attack on Health Coverage for America's Children examines how the President's two vetoes of CHIP reauthorization legislation, combined with the August 2007 CMS directive, will jeopardize health care for thousands of children. And the President's proposed fiscal year 2009 budget would hurt children's coverage even more. 8 pp. Free (February 2008)
Reward/Penalty Plans for Wellness: Coming Soon to an Office Near You? Encouraging healthy lifestyles is important, but might some wellness plans place your access to health care at risk? This piece explores some of the hidden effects that reward/penalty plans for wellness may have on consumers, as well as the problems that these plans might present in both employer-sponsored coverage and Medicaid. 8 pp. Free (January 2008)
Insure Missouri: Too Little, Too Late examines Governor Blunt's proposal to provide health coverage to uninsured Missourians. It finds that the plan's eligibility criteria leave out many low-income uninsured adults, the coverage offered is missing key benefits, the cost-sharing is too high, and the plan is built on shaky financing mechanisms. 10 pp. Free (January 2008)
Healthy Maryland: A Building Block for Maryland's Economy examines the Healthy Maryland Initiative, which will boost the state's economy and extend coverage to more than 100,000 Marylanders who are currently uninsured. 10 pp. Free (October 2007)
The Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Requirement One Year Later examines the citizenship documentation law, including changes that have been made since its implementation in July 2006, as well as its impact on states, Medicaid applicants, and Medicaid enrollees. The issue brief also discusses potential improvements to the requirement contained in the CHIP reauthorization legislation. 8 pp. Free (September 2007)
Best Practices: How States Can Reduce the Burden of the Citizenship Documentation Requirement reports on the results of a nationwide survey regarding how states are implementing the DRA. 12 pp. Free (May 2007)
Unwilling Volunteers: Tennesseans Forced Out of Health Care. Tennessee should serve as a cautionary tale for what can happen when a state tries to reduce the cost of programs that provide health coverage to its residents. Personal stories and photographs of Tennessee's unwilling volunteers. (April 2007)
Using Blunt Force on Missouri's Most Vulnerable Population analyzes the damage that could be done by SB 577, a proposal to replace the state's Medicaid program. 10 pp. Free (March 2007)
Health Opportunity Accounts: What Are They, and Why Should State Advocates Care? explains what health opportunity accounts (HOAs) are, how they operate, and who can and cannot participate in them. It also discusses why advocates should be concerned about this sweeping provision of the DRA. 9 pp. Free (March 2007)
SCHIP and Children's Health Coverage: Leveling the Playing Field for Minority Children examines the important role that SCHIP plays in reducing disparities in access to care, as well as how the SCHIP reauthorization process can be used to further this effort. 4 pp. Free (December 2006)
Vermont's Health Reform Laws discusses the basics of the state's two new laws, known as "Catamount Health." The piece also examines how Catamount Health will be financed, how the laws build on existing health coverage programs, and pros and cons of the laws. 6 pp. Free (December 2006)
SCHIP and Children's Health Coverage: Fitting the Pieces Together examines where children, including low-income children, get their health coverage, as well as how SCHIP and Medicaid have reduced the number of uninsured children. 4 pp. Free (November 2006)
The Burden of Proof: New Regulations Worsen Citizenship Documentation Requirement in Medicaid examines the likely consequences of the new Medicaid citizenship documentation regulations and advises advocates on how to mitigate the harm these requirements may cause. 11 pp. (July 2006)
Analysis of the Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Regulations discusses the interim final regulations that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued in July. The regulations alleviated the burden of documenting citizenship for several important groups of Medicaid beneficiaries and applicants. However, there are still many areas of concern in the new regulations, and millions of eligible Americans will have their coverage delayed or denied because of these onerous requirements. 8 pp. (July 2006)
President Bush's Fiscal Year 2007 Budget: Analysis of Key Health Care Provisions Includes discussion and commentary on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Medicaid, and Medicare. 13pp. (February 22, 2006)
Medicaid and Minority Health: Why Cutting Medicaid Will Exacerbate Health Disparities analyzes the relationship between Medicaid and minority health, explores the causes of racial and ethnic health disparities, and examines how recent proposals to cut Medicaid will worsen these disparities. (February 11, 2005)
The National Governors Association Medicaid Block-Grant, Families USA (June 2003)
Capping Medicaid Funding: The Problem with Block Grants (June 2003)
Presumptive Eligibility, from Health Insurance for Children, provides an overview of the use of presumptive eligibility to increase participation in Medicaid and SCHIP. The article discusses the process of determining presumptive eligibility, describes the benefits of the process for children, and examines some concerns that have slowed wider adoption of presumptive eligibility. It also discusses possible solutions that will enable presumptive eligibility to meet its potential to cover eligible children and increase the continuity of their care. (Spring 2003)
Proposed Fiscal Relief to States, FY2003-2004 - How Does Your State Fare? (February 21, 2003)
Issue Brief: Preliminary Analysis of New Bush Proposal to Block-Grant Medicaid (February 12, 2003)
Medicaid Managed Care Final Regulations Issued In June, the Bush Administration released final regulations implementing patient protections for Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care. This report summarizes the main provisions of these regulations, including state plan requirements, enrollee rights, and grievance systems. (September 2002)
Medicaid Managed Care Consumer Protection Regulations: No Patients' Rights for the Poor? A new special report from Families USA (May 2001)
Testimony by Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, Before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, about the Bush Administration's Medicaid Waiver Policy. This testimony addresses fundamental problems with the Bush Administration's new Medicaid state waiver policy, called the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) initiative. It also addresses the Administration's individual tax credit proposal and presents evidence that a $1,000 tax credit will not help low-income people purchase health insurance coverage in the private individual market. (March 12, 2002)
Medicaid Managed Care Regulations Issued: What do they do? Will they be implemented? New Field Report (March 2001)
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