Texas Voice For Health Reform » CHIP

Texans are Among the Biggest Winners in Last Night’s Vote for Historic Health Care Reform

Anne Dunkelberg — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:42:11 +0000

With more than one in four Texans currently lacking health care insurance and runaway premiums adding daily to that 6.1 million count, relief cannot not come too soon for our overburdened health care system. In addition to providing new economic security to millions of Texas families, the national health reform bill will also bring billions of dollars back to Texas each year through health insurance tax credits for middle class and low-income Texans, and Medicaid coverage for our poorest citizens.

Our state leadership should move promptly and in good faith to facilitate the implementation of health insurance reforms. Texans can look to the establishment of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and our response to Hurricane Ike as recent examples of the excellent performance of which our state government is capable when it has the backing of leadership.

Click here to read the full statement.

Share/Save

Children’s Coverage in Health Reform

Melissa Shannon — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:22:08 +0000

The national health reform debate has proved challenging for children’s health advocates who, on one hand support affordable comprehensive coverage for all Americans, but are also committed to protecting the hard-fought gains in coverage and cost protections for children in CHIP and Medicaid. As policymakers negotiate the merging of the two bills, we wanted to present a range views and enough specifics on children’s coverage provisions to fill you in on some of the major concerns and potential benefits of the proposed legislation.

The New York Times Prescriptions Blog post “Program for Children Has Uncertain Future” provides a nice summary of some of the most pressing concerns regarding the future of CHIP.

The additional links below provide greater detail on the wide range of advocacy perspectives on the House and Senate proposals impact children’s coverage.

December First Focus Report – “Children in Health Reform: Comparing CHIP to the Exchange Plans”
First Focus Health Reform Resources
December Center on Budget & Policy Priorities – “Vast Majority of Children Would Be As Well Off or Better Off Under House Health Bill Than Under Current Law”

We also recommend checking out Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families (CFF) as an excellent resource for policy expertise and advocacy:

Georgetown’s Center Children and Families website on health reform
CFF Children’s Health Policy Blog: Say Ahhh!

Share/Save

Working-Age Texans Most Likely To Be Uninsured

Stacey Pogue — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:00:09 +0000

Working Age Texans Most Likely To Be Uninsured

In Texas, 32 percent of adults ages 19 to 64 are uninsured compared to 19 percent of children. It’s a bit surprising that working-age adults in Texas are so much more likely to be uninsured than children, since parents (and not children) often have insurance provided with their job.

But if you look at how children and working age adults get coverage, you see that kids fare much better because we’ve created a safety net with Medicaid and CHIP that provides access to affordable coverage for children in low-income families. In Texas today, most of the parents whose kids get Medicaid do not qualify, and poor adults without children do not qualify at all. Only adults who are elderly, fully disabled, pregnant women, and a small handful of parents with almost no income can get Medicaid today. The income-eligibility level for parents—$308 per month for a working parent with two children—has not been increased by the Texas Legislature since 1985. Parents working just 10 hours a week at minimum wage will earn too much too qualify for Medicaid (but far too little to afford private health insurance).

Expanding Medicaid eligibility to everyone who is living in or near the poverty as proposed in national health reform bills will dramatically increase access to affordable coverage for low-income Texans and make roughly a million low-income uninsured adults in Texas eligible for Medicaid.

Share/Save

Back of Envelope Analysis of Texas Medicaid Expansion in House Reform Bill

Anne Dunkelberg — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:36:52 +0000

The House Reform bill, HR 3962 would expand Medicaid coverage to 150% of the federal poverty income level. Kids aged 18 and younger at or below 150% FPL already qualify for Medicaid or CHIP in Texas, but very few adults qualify, so the impact here will be among uninsured adults.

This Medicaid expansion would not start until 2013 under the House bill, but to give you a general idea of what it could mean for Texas, here is an illustration based on current census data and Medicaid costs. According to the latest US census data, in 2008 there were about 1.3 million uninsured Texas adults aged 19-64 who (a) are U.S. citizens and (b) have incomes below 150% FPL. At the 2009 cost-per-Medicaid-parent of about $305 per adult/per month, providing coverage to 1.3 million more adults would result in about $4.7 billion in new health care spending. Under HR 3962, the federal government would pay 100% of the costs of this coverage for two years, and 91% after that. So in year 3, Texas’ 9% state share of the $4.7 billion would be would be about $421 million, with the federal government paying the remaining $4.25 billion. In other words, about ten federal dollars in for every one state dollar.

Of course, more sophisticated models will be developed going forward that figure in population growth, inflation, and “take-up” rates. But this illustration is a reminder that the expansion, while not “free” for Texas, will yield substantial economic benefits. HR 3962 will also fund increases in certain Medicaid primary care fees for providers on the same terms: 2 years at 100% federal and 91% federal thereafter. States’ economies will also benefit from federal premium assistance and out-of-pocket cost help to families from 150-400% FPL, which will not require any state budget contribution at all.

Share/Save

Polling Affirms Strong Support for Covering Kids through Health Reform

Stacey Pogue — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:19:15 +0000

A poll conducted on behalf of First Focus found that Americans support ensuring that children have access to comprehensive, affordable health coverage through health reform. General support for kid’s coverage should come as no surprise, but the poll dug a bit deeper and still found strong support for ensuring all kids are covered even if it raises one’s taxes (68% in favor) and having a national children’s insurance program that covers all kids, including legal immigrant children (71% in favor).

The poll also reflected a strong belief that children not be left worse off through health reform. By a 3-1 majority, Americans indicated they would oppose the elimination of CHIP through health reform if it was replaced with coverage through a Health Insurance Exchange that costs more for families and offers fewer benefits to children.

Share/Save

Key Elements of National Health Reform Proposals

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:38:09 +0000

The Kaiser Family Foundation issued several new resources related to the national debate about comprehensive health reform:
•   How Might a Reform Plan Be Financed? examines the challenges of paying for a major reform plan, including a look at some of the options under consideration by Congressional leaders. The brief explains the various approaches being discussed to finance the likely costs of the health reform plans under consideration. It is part of the Foundation’s series of Explaining Health Care Reform briefs.
•   Key Questions about Changes for Medicaid and Low-Income Individuals: America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 summarizes the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program provisions included in H.R.3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, otherwise known as the Tri-Committee bill. It also looks at some key questions about the legislation’s provisions affecting low-income individuals.
•   Summary of Key Medicare Provisions in H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 provides a detailed look at the provisions in the House Tri-Committee bill that affect the Medicare program, including breakouts of the savings and new spending included in the bill.

The Foundation also updated its interactive side-by-side health reform comparison tool to reflect changes to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee proposal. The online tool allows users to compare any of 11 different plans, including the House Tri-Committee legislation and the Senate Finance Committee policy options.

Share/Save

Historic Health Reform Dialogue

Kymberlie Quong-Charles — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:07:45 +0000

Seventeen diverse organizations representing consumers, providers, insurers, and the business sector have come together in an historic effort to develop consensus on the priorities for national health reform in the United States. After six months of work these groups have identified several areas of commonground, documented in A Dialogue on U.S. Health Reform.

While participants in Health Reform Dialogue acknowledge that there are some health issues on which they do not agree, they are “committed to resolving them through the political process; each agrees that failing on health reform in this Congress is unacceptable and is committed to working cooperatively.”

Participants in Health Reform Dialogue include:

AARP

Advanced Medical Technology Association

America’s Health Insurance Plans

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American College of Physicians

American Hospital Association

American Medical Association

American Nurses Association

American Public Health Association

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Business Roundtable