National and State-By-State Impact of the 2012 House Republican Budget Plan for Medicaid October 1, 2012 Report This analysis of the House Budget Plan that was passed in 2012 finds that repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and converting Medicaid to a block grant would trigger significant decreases in federal Medicaid spending and could result in substantial reductions in enrollment and payments to providers compared to current…
Medicaid Financing: An Overview of the Federal Medicaid Matching Rate (FMAP) September 30, 2012 Issue Brief Since its enactment in 1965, the Medicaid program has used the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to determine the federal government’s share of the cost of covered services in state Medicaid programs. On average, the federal share has been 57 percent. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes…
Coverage of Preventive Services for Adults in Medicaid September 1, 2012 Issue Brief This brief highlights data from a survey of coverage of 42 recommended preventive services for adults in Medicaid fee-for-service programs as of October 2010. Medicaid programs must cover preventive services for children as part of the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, but generally are not required to…
A Historical Review of How States Have Responded to the Availability of Federal Funds for Health Coverage August 1, 2012 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 Care Act.
Health Insurance Exchanges: Can States and the Federal Government Meet the Deadline? July 27, 2012 Event The Alliance for Health Reform and the Commonwealth Fund sponsor a July 27 briefing to discuss how states are facing implementation and evaluation deadlines in regards to health insurance exchanges. Speakers will explore such questions as: What needs to happen between now and January 2014 for states to successfully implement…
Health Insurance Market Reforms: Guaranteed Issue June 2, 2012 Fact Sheet Guaranteed issue laws require insurance companies to issue a health plan to any applicant – an individual or a group – regardless of the applicant’s health status or other factors. Currently, in most states, insurance companies can deny nongroup coverage to people based on their health status or their medical…
CHIP Enrollment: June 2011 Data Snapshot June 1, 2012 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…
Quick Take: Timing Matters: States Waiting for a Supreme Court Decision to Plan an Exchange May 23, 2012 Fact Sheet State-based health insurance exchanges are an important component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) designed to extend subsidized private health insurance coverage to millions of Americans by 2014. Though projections show exchange enrollment could grow to 20 million individuals nationally, aggressive planning on the part of states…
Medicare’s Role for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries April 4, 2012 Issue Brief About 9 million low-income seniors and younger people with disabilities in the United States are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid. This brief examines the role of Medicare in providing health coverage for these beneficiaries. Medicare is the primary source of health insurance, while Medicaid provides supplemental coverage, helping with…
Implementing Health Reform in the States March 27, 2012 Event The Alliance for Health Reform, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Association of Health Care Journalists sponsored this live webinar on March 27, 2012, to take a look at what’s happening in the states with implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Many of the key decisions implementing…
