861,000 Fewer Children Were Covered By Medicaid In 2018, Report Finds
While Trump administration officials say that employment gains play a large role, others attribute the declines to onerous state eligibility redetermination processes and cuts in funding for enrollment education and outreach.
Modern Healthcare:
Medicaid, CHIP Enrollment For Kids Dropped By 861,000 In 2018
An estimated 861,000 fewer children were covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program in 2018 compared with the year before, according to an analysis by Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families drawing on new CMS data. Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment totaled 72.4 million in January 2019, down about 2.2 million from January 2018, according to the CMS data. CMS Administrator Seema Verma tweeted that her agency's preliminary analysis suggests the improving U.S. economy is a factor in the enrollment declines in Medicaid and CHIP. (Meyer, 4/25)
In other Medicaid news —
Nashville Tennessean:
Katie Beckett Waiver: State Senate To Cut Taxes Instead Of Fully Funding Medicaid Waiver For Disabled Children
After speculation over whether the state Senate would agree to fund a Medicaid waiver program to provide medical treatment for disabled children, the upper chamber has announced its plan: Pay for part of it, while using additional funds to reduce the state's professional privilege tax. ...The House has committed in this year's budget to fully funding the $27 million Katie Beckett waiver program, which covers medical treatment for children with disabilities and severe illnesses whose families wouldn't otherwise qualify for TennCare, the state's Medicaid program. (Allison and Ebert, 4/26)
