Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Time Quickly Ticking On Funding For Children's Health Care As Hill Focuses On ACA Instead
CQ: As Congress Flounders, Millions of Kids Risk Losing Insurance
Minnesota officials knew they would exhaust Children’s Health Insurance Program money by the end of this year. Then they discovered the news was worse: The state would likely be out of money for coverage of low-income children and pregnant women by the end of September. And it became increasingly clear that Congress was probably not going to meet a deadline to help. The state will have “to take extraordinary measures to ensure that coverage continues beyond October 1, 2017, if Congress does not act,” warned Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper in a Sept. 13 letter pleading with lawmakers for “urgent” action. Minnesota is the first state to hit a funding crisis but others are on the cusp. (Adams, 9/25)
Modern Healthcare: A Battle For Children's Health Coverage On Two Fronts
As Sept. 30 approaches, pediatric providers are grappling with the potential loss of funding for two programs responsible for huge gains in health insurance coverage for children. Combined, the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid, both of which provide health coverage to uninsured children in families that can't afford it elsewhere, cover an estimated 46 million children. (Livingston, 9/22)
Georgia Health News: Insured Children Increase In Georgia And Nationwide, Report Says
Nationwide, 95.5 percent of children had health insurance in 2016, which is a historic high, according to the report released Friday by Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. ... The authors linked the increase in coverage nationally to the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. (Miller, 9/23)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Key Health Programs At Risk Of Lapsing As Obamacare Repeal Dominates D.C. Debate
Nearly one hundred and fifty million dollars to keep Georgia hospitals’ indigent care afloat. Funding for the PeachCare program that along with Medicaid covers about half of Georgia’s kids. ... Those are some things that Congress has not taken care of — or even, in some cases, clarified its position on — as deadlines and expirations approach at the end of September. (Hallerman, 9/23)
Kaiser Health News: Facebook Live: What’s Happening With The Children’s Health Insurance Program?
KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner and Bruce Lesley, a Capitol Hill veteran who heads First Focus, a bipartisan children’s health advocacy group, break down the current state of play on CHIP reauthorization and other congressional issues. (9/22)
