Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CHIP Coffers Are Habitually Raided To Finance Other Parts Of The Budget. Take A Look At How It Survives.
CQ: CHIP's Long, Strange Trip To Budgetary Nirvana
Lawmakers are on the verge of wringing another $7.7 billion in budgetary savings out of the Children's Health Insurance Program to finance the discretionary portion of the Department of Health and Human Services' fiscal 2019 budget, among other expenses in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations conference report (HR 6157). That would bring the CHIP offsets tally to $58.3 billion since the GOP House takeover after the 2010 midterms, according to a CQ review of Labor-HHS-Education spending laws over the past nine years. (Mejdrich, 9/20)
The Associated Press: Hospital Association Begins Campaign For Medicaid Expansion
With one in every 10 patients walking into state hospitals without insurance, the Alabama Hospital Association on Thursday launched a campaign to push for expansion of the state's Medicaid program. Politicians in the Deep South have often opposed expansion, but the Alabama Hospital Association is urging citizens and policy makers to think of expansion as they would any other economic development investment, arguing it would benefit communities and the entire state health care system in addition to the estimated 300,000 people who would gain health care coverage. (Chandler, 9/20)
The Associated Press: Maine Courts To Hear Medicaid Expansion Arguments
Maine courts have agreed to hear the latest arguments about the state's failure to enact voter-approved Medicaid expansion. Medicaid expansion has been held up for months because of the Republican governor's opposition over funding issues and resulting legal battles. A judge charged with addressing looming constitutional issues impacting Medicaid expansion has scheduled hearings for Sept 27-28 in Portland. (Villeneuve, 9/20)
