Insights Column

There’s No Painless Way to End the Medicaid Expansion

Update (6/8/17): Reports that senators are considering a longer phase-down of the Medicaid expansion do not represent a compromise. A phaseout – no matter the exact length -- is the same as ending ...

The High Administrative Costs of Common Medicaid Expansion Waiver Elements

Montana, the most recent state to extend its Medicaid program to more residents, is wrapping up negotiations with the federal government to determine the logistics of what this alternative expansion p...

How Building a Story Bank Program Can Help Your Organization

Personal stories are one of the most powerful tools an organization can employ in its work. They inspire connection and empathy while simultaneously challenging stereotypes, humanizing policies or sta...

New Oregon Health Study’s Findings Reaffirm That Medicaid Is Good Health Coverage

New findings from the Oregon Health Study reaffirm that Medicaid is good health coverage: The study showed that Medicaid beneficiaries were more likely than the uninsured to receive needed health care...

Republicans’ Empty Promises to Patients with Pre-Existing Conditions

In their effort to repeal the federal health reform law, Republicans in Congress and President Trump have been outspoken in claiming that they plan to protect people with pre-existing conditions. This...

Tackling Health Disparities While Reforming Payment and Delivery

In part 1 of this blog series, we explained that efforts to reform health care delivery and payment methods could be a double-edged sword for communities of color and described one example of a susta...

Why Reforming Health Care Payment and Delivery is a Health Equity Issue

This is part one of a two-part blog series describing the models three organizations are using to tackle community-level barriers to high-quality care for people of color and save their state Medica...

Senator Cruz’s Death Spiral Amendment

Senator Ted Cruz has been openly touting a proposal to amend the Senate’s health bill by allowing health plans to market cheap, narrow-coverage plans—that is, junk health insurance policies—as l...

Congress Should Make Funding for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) a Top Priority

Federal funding for CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expires in September 2015. At a time when we are expanding health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, we must also ensu...

Medicaid Expansion in Kentucky Leads to Spike in Use of Preventive Health Services

When Kentucky expanded Medicaid on January 1, 2014, the state made a commitment to improving the health, quality of life, and long-term wellness of its residents. Early data suggest that Medicaid expa...