In The Spotlight

Children's Health Coverage: Medicaid, CHIP, and Next Steps

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) play a crucial role in the U.S. health insurance system by providing coverage for more than one in four children. The number of children in CHIP is at an all-time high, having grown 15 percent over the past year alone. About half of Medicaid’s enrollees are children. And yet, more than 8 million children remain uninsured today, 70 percent of whom are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. What factors influence children’s coverage? What are the trends in private sector coverage? How well are the enrollment simplification and outreach tools included in this year’s CHIP reauthorization helping reach those children who are eligible but unenrolled? How much does a child’s coverage depend on where he or she lives? To discuss these questions and others, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are sponsoring a November 13 luncheon briefing. Info & Registration 

This briefing examined the quasi-governmental authorities that Germany, the Netherlands and France have established to control health care costs, oversee quality, and regulate insurance and provider payment. The topic is timely as Congress considers setting up a new high-level entity to make recommendations to Congress on reducing health care costs and improving quality. Cosponsored by The Commonwealth Fund.  Read More

Health care delivery poses unique challenges in rural communities. Provider shortages are particularly acute in rural America, where levels of educational achievement are generally lower and there are fewer opportunities to receive medical training. Unemployment and uninsurance rates are higher in rural areas than elsewhere. What provisions in the various reform proposals affect rural health care? What particular challenges need to be overcome in order to improve care delivery in rural areas? What aspects of health reform will require special accommodation in rural areas? Are delivery systems in rural areas currently able to handle the influx of new patients coverage expansion would bring? How does HIT factor into rural reform? To answer these questions and more, the Alliance for Health Reform hosted a briefing with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on October 30.  Read More

Public support for health reform waxes and wanes depending, not only on what’s being proposed in the reform proposals, but also on who asks the question and how it is asked. Some recent polls indicate a majority of Americans support health care reform now; is that still the case? Do people want to pay for covering the uninsured – and if so, how much? To address these and related questions, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation sponsored an October 23 briefing. Downloadable resources available, including lists of experts and websites.  Read More