Children’s Health Program And Community Health Centers’ Funding Stuck In Senate Logjam
A bipartisan deal on the popular Children's Health Insurance Program was reached by senators earlier this month, but it looks unlikely to get a vote before the program's authority expires on Sept. 30 because the Senate is consumed with efforts to replace the federal health law. Also in Medicaid news, officials in New Mexico unveil plans to charge enrollees premiums and copayments.
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Law Repeal Push Could Jeopardize Children’s Program Funding
The 11th-hour push to dismantle major portions of the Affordable Care Act by the end of the month is imperiling funding for several popular bipartisan health programs that are set to expire Sept. 30. The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee brokered a deal last week to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, for five years, just as the program’s funding is set to phase out. (Hackman, 9/20)
Sante Fe New Mexican:
State Pursues Medicaid Premiums, Copays To Cover Rising Costs
New Mexico residents enrolled in Medicaid may have to cough up more money for their health care costs by the end of the year or early next year under a proposal that aims to offset state spending on the program. The state Human Services Department is proposing copays and even monthly premiums for patients in the state’s Medicaid program, which provides coverage for low-income people. Patient advocates say the expenses will create a hardship for some of New Mexico’s poorest residents, but officials argue the patient contributions would be a reasonable way to control costs in a health care system that requires a growing share of the state budget. (Oxford, 9/20)
Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal:
Legislators Assail Proposed State Medicaid Changes
Democratic state lawmakers on Wednesday bluntly criticized a proposal that would impose co-pays and monthly premiums on more of the low-income New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid for their health care. The proposal would also scale back some benefits. On the same day that Republican Gov. Susana Martinez expressed misgivings about a Republican bill to repeal Obamacare, her administration characterized the state-level benefit changes as minor, with exemptions built in to soften the impact. (McKay, 9/20)
