|
Health Access Weblog
|
Improving Medicare...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
According to our collegues at Families USA, we have some good progress on improving Medicare in the U.S. Congress: On Tuesday, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, H.R. 6331, by a vote of 355-59. They report that the U.S. Senate expects to vote on the House-passed bill as early as Thursday, June 26. An earlier version of this bill was blocked by a Republican filibuster after the President threatened to veto the bill. The bill also makes needed changes to private Medicare Advantage plans and re-directs funding to Medicare’s doctors and health care providers. This bill makes several important improvements that will help seniors and people with disabilities get the health care they need, including: * Broader protections for low-income beneficiaries * Expanded coverage for preventive services * Reduced cost-sharing for mental health services * Stronger consumer protections Families USA is asking health care advocates to call their U.S. Senators, and tell them to support the House-passed version of the Medicare bill -- the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331). You can call 1-800-828-0498 and ask to be connected to your Senator Boxer or Feinstein. Labels: Bush, Federal, Legislation, Medicare
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
3:28 PM
a
We knew her when...
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The effort to win national health care reform is heating up: lots of planning meeting and activities to ensure that there is a mandate for a new President and Congress to take this issue on, and to be ready to roll in 2009.  Consumers Union (a Health Access California board member) is spearheading a Cover America Tour: an RV that will criss-cross the country for four months, collecting stories about the issues that people have with the broken health care system. The effort has a website and blog of interest, which includes a video of the launch of the Cover America Tour from Consumers Union's Yonkers headquarters, being cheered by staffers from the labs that test all those products that are evaluated in Consumer Reports. It should be an interest and informative trip, that I urge folks to follow along on the web.  The video prominently features the energetic Meg Bohne (pictured above, crouching), a Health Access alumnus, who has told me she give us partial credit (or blame) for her current assignment. On the website page that describes the whole enterprise, Meg Bohne cites her experience as a "a seasoned community activist, advocate and organizer, Meg has come to specialize in on-the-road campaigns in vehicles that have spanned a bus, an ambulance and, now, an RV." At left is the ambulance she drove up and down the state of California for Health Access, in the cause of lower prescription drug prices. We wish Meg and the whole crew at Consumers Union luck in their trip and their effort. We look forward to hearing the stories, the personal health care experiences, and the adventures on the road! Labels: ExpandingCoverage, Federal, HealthAccessCommunity, Underinsurance, Uninsured
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
2:02 AM
a
The first 100 days...
Friday, May 30, 2008
It's a busy day blogging on the budget, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out a statement by Sen. Barack Obama made last night in Denver, as reported by Marc Ambinder of the The Atlantic. So after he meets with the Joint Chief of Staff to determine a course of action in Iraq, Obama wants to "[G]et our health care plan moving. We need a bill...by March or April to get going before the political season sets in."
Ezra Klein of The American Prospect is elated, citing that the previous Clinton effort suffered because it was pushed back and not considered in the first 100 days. But we health advocates still have a lot of work to do, to make sure that health reform, and the right reform, is the top priority in Washington, DC, as well as Sacramento. Labels: Federal, PresidentialCandidates
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
5:03 PM
a
Working on both fronts...
Friday, April 25, 2008
Lots of hub-bub in health circles about an article in the Capitol weekly publication The Hill, suggesting health reform isn't a certainty in 2009 at the federal level. There's lots of pushback and clarification as a result. Either way, it suggests that reformers and advocates, while continuing to push for national health reform, should *not* sit on their hands at the state level. We have a window of opportunity in 2009-10 at *both* the federal and state levels, with a new President and Congress, and here in California with new legislative leaders and a Governor interested in prioritizing health care. We need to work on both, in simultaneous and complementary ways. Labels: Federal, OtherBlogs, YearOfReform
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
5:50 PM
a
Adding fuel to the fire...
Earlier today, Families USA released a short report about the proposed Medicaid rule changes put in place by the Bush Administration. They are projected to cost California more than $10.8 billion in federal funds over the next five years. The report suggests that the cut in federal funding will, in fact, act like a giant anti-stimulus package. Those lost Medicaid funds will eliminate an estimated 46,700 jobs and an accompanying $1.9 billion in wages, and, even worse, cost the state an estimated $5.4 billion in lost business activity. Virtually all that economic pain comes in the first year of implementation, when California would fail to receive approximately $2.2 billion in Medicaid payments. Titled “Bad Medicine,” the report analyzed the economic impact of seven new Medicaid regulations that were issued in 2007. “The devastation caused by the Administration’s cuts will affect millions of people who rely on Medicaid for their health lifeline. This will be tragic for their families,” Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today.
“Additionally, these cuts will harm state budgets at the worst possible time. These cuts in federal Medicaid payments will have a ripple effect through state economies that are already struggling during this economic downturn. This economic harm will increase the number of people who may need Medicaid, as tens of thousands of Californians see their paychecks being cut or their jobs being eliminated.
“This lost business activity in California will hurt business and industry, and it will force governors and state legislators to make increasingly difficult choices about providing state services,” Pollack said. “This Bush Administration’s decision is ill-timed and ill-considered, and it should be reversed by Congress.” There was also comments from our state's Medicaid director. “The proposed changes to the Medicaid program would result in a significant and potentially devastating shift of costs to California taxpayers,” Stan Rosenstein, chief deputy director, California Department of Health Care Services, said today. “Our state would be saddled with an estimated $12 billion financial burden resulting from such a drastic change in how the federal government supports the Medicaid program. The Governor strongly believes that such changes should undergo further evaluation and a full congressional review before being implemented."
The seven regulation changes issued by the Bush Administration in 2007 – and imposed on states without congressional review or debate – restrict funding for a variety of Medicaid services, including rehabilitation services, school-based transportation, as well as Medicaid administrative services, such as outreach, enrollment, and case management. The seven rule changes are now either under a congressional moratorium or awaiting implementation.
Just a comment: On top of proposed cuts at the state level, these federal cuts by the Bush Administration would be a 1-2 punch for California patients, our health system, and our economy. These cuts would add fuel to the fire of our deteriorating economy, and our deteriorating health system, one that we all rely on. We are happy that most (but not all) of our California Congressional delegation voted to delay these regulations, as Hanh reported below. These is the exact wrong direction for California and for health care. Labels: Bush, Federal, MediCal
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
5:06 PM
a
60 votes!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Take Back America Conference in Washington, DC, had a full panel on health care, focused on the Jacob Hacker proposal, with responses. The video is at the website of the Campaign for America's Future.Ezra Klein of the American Prospect wrote out his notes beforehand, and does an impressive job predicting what discussion will look like (which is very similar to many discussions of which I have been part)--basically, every speaker goes on to describe their favorite plan, a panelist or two and audience members emphasize single-payer, and the conversation goes back-and-forth. Instead, Ezra focuses on the politics and one number: 60. That's the number of Senate votes needed to pass any bill, regardless of who the President is. It's a call for advocates to be flexible given the political realities of next year--which means that reforms will need not just Democratic but Republican votes. But advocates have the opportunity to help shape the political environment of next year. The election matters, and not just the race for the White House. Labels: Federal, InTheNews
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
12:01 AM
a
Some delays are good...
Monday, December 03, 2007
Good news. The Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board has delayed the decision to start disenrolling children from the Healthy Families program for the time being. However, unless the President backs down from his continual veto threat, there's the votes to override the veto, or there's a deal made, children will start to lose coverage, and soon. Here's the post from the MRMIB website: DECEMBER 5TH MEETING CANCELLED
NOTE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LESLEY CUMMINGS:
Given anticipated Congressional action, Board Chair Cliff Allenby instructed me to cancel the December 5th Board meeting. To date, Congress has authorized 2008 funding for Healthy Families using 2007 funding levels, providing California funding only through December 14; however, we expect that Congress will address SCHIP funding needs prior to its holiday recess which would change our situation in California. So I recommended that the Board delay consideration of making program reductions at this time. If Congress and the President continue to provide funding at the 2007 funding level, staff will come to the Board at a future meeting with proposals to ensure that the Board meets its fiscal stewardship to manage enrollment to available resources.
To read between the lines: if we only get 2007 level funding, California will still have to disenroll hundreds of thousands of children. We have work to do! Labels: Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
5:11 PM
a
Zonker would know what to do...
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
a
Override!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Health and consumer advocates should keep the pressure on U.S. House members about the possibility of an override of the President's veto of children's health coverage, which he did today. We need 25 more votes from last week's House vote to override the veto. There's a handful of Democrats who didn't think it went far enough, or who had other issues. (For example, California Rep. Diane Watson voted "present.") Presumably, they can be convinced that they made their point, and to vote to override the President and get coverage to children. So theoretically, the California delegation could make the remaining difference itself, if all of the 18 California Republicans vote in the interest of their Republican Governor, their state, and the children of their district. Rep. Wally Herger did not vote, and so maybe that's a signal that he would vote for the override. Maybe not all of them are able to be convinced, but California could make a big difference in putting this over the top. It's essential. Labels: Bush, Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
10:27 AM
a
All SCHIP, all the time.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
a
SCHIP Impacts in California...
Two good stories over the weekend spotlight the impact of the President's SCHIP veto to California. Bill Ainsworth in the San Diego Union-Tribune and Barbara Anderson in the Fresno Bee report that potentially hundreds of thousands of children wil lose coverage, as well as the wrench it throws into our health care reform debate. Beyond making clear the scale of the disruption, I tried to make the point in my quotes in these articles that there should be political ramifications, especially for the 18 California Congressional Representatives from California that voted against SCHIP. Today, according to the San Jose Mercury News and the Washington Post, California is joining several other states, including New York and New Jersey, in suing the Bush Administration about their unilateral efforts to restrict SCHIP. Labels: Federal, InTheNews, OtherStates, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
10:26 AM
a
On to the President's desk...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
HEALTH ACCESS UPDATEThursday, September 27, 2007 U.S. CONGRESS PASSES CHILDREN'S COVERAGE; SCHIP HEADS TOWARD VETO* Senate passes SCHIP/Healthy Families expansion with veto-proof 69-30 vote
* Follows House passage of SCHIP, 265-159, a majority but not enough to override veto
* ACTION ITEM: Write your Representative about their SCHIP vote
New on the Health Access WeBlog: Much More on SCHIP; Health Premium Increases; Special Session Gossip.The U.S. Senate on Thursday sent to President Bush a bipartisan $60 billion package that would extend the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for another five years. Healthy Families, California's version of SCHIP, currently covers 850,000 children. Both California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein voted in favor of the measure. Even though SCHIP is set to expire on Sunday, September 30th, President Bush has already vowed to veto the measure, which achieved a veto-proof majority in the Senate, but not in the House. Thirty-four of 53 California Representatives supported the measure in the House of Representatives vote on Tuesday, including Representative Mary Bono, who was the only one of the 19 California Republicans to cross party lines to vote in favor of children’s coverage. HR976 ultimately passed with a 265-159 vote majority on Tuesday evening, but not the 290 votes needed to withstand a veto. See the full list of how California ’s delegation voted here. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program expires on Sunday after 10 years. It covers 6.6 million children nationally, including about 850,000 children in California through our Healthy Families Program. HR976 (the SCHIP reauthorization bill) would extend coverage to an additional 4 million children – halving the number of uninsured children in the nation. THE BILLHR976 would provide an increase to SCHIP of $35 billion over five years. State would receive a 2:1 federal match that dollars states spend in covering eligible children. The bill would provide federal funds for children in families up to 300 percent of poverty -- $61,950 for a family of four. While many states only allow children under 200 percent of poverty, some states with high costs-of-living have higher eligibility levels: California ’s Healthy Families program goes up to 250 percent, and has pending proposals to extend that coverage to 300 percent. New Jersey has had 350 percent, and New York has proposed 400 percent, although their request has recently been rejected by the Bush Administration. Allowing more middle-income families to join the program has been a point of contention with the President and other Republican members of Congress who view expanding SCHIP into middle-income territory as leverage toward “socialized medicine.’’ But supporters of the expansion argue that private health coverage has become too expensive for families to buy on their own – especially as employers scale back benefits offerings or decline to offer coverage altogether. In California, some estimate the increase would help the state achieve near-universal coverage for children: about 650,000 children. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic leaders have all advocated for increasing eligibility for children under the SCHIP/Healthy Families program, and such expansions are part of their overall health expansion proposals. The expansion of eligibility at the federal level would be covered by a 61-cent increase in the tobacco tax, which was decried by Republican opponents, even though a new poll shows that 67 percent of Republicans favor an even larger tobacco tax to fund children’s health care. The same poll even shows that smokers don’t mind (by a 51-47 margin) paying more to keep children healthy. THE DEBATEMany senators, both Democrat and Republican pointed to the hypocrisy of those who planned to oppose the extension and expansion of children’s health insurance. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., for instance, pointed out that senators who planned to vote against expanding SCHIP earned $160,000 annually, “well above 300 and 400 percent of poverty’’ yet still receive a generous health package paid for by taxpayers. “You’d think if they (the opposing senators) are so offended by federal government spending, they wouldn’t use it themselves. But no, they’ll take it. …This is extraordinary hypocrisy. How can they be complaining all afternoon about a federal government program, and then have the federal government paying for their own,” he said. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also spoke in favor of the measure, accusing some of his Republican colleagues of distorting information and correcting the inaccurate assertions his friends made. Grassley also reminded lawmakers that President Bush declared at the 2004 Republican Convention that low-income children should receive the health care they need when they need it. Republican senators who opposed the bill denounced the expansion as leading to “government health insurance,’’ an argument that President Bush has been rolling out the previous weeks in laying out reasons he will veto the bill. Others, like Sen. Jim Bunning, R-KY, opined that his state, which does not allow anyone earning more than 200 percent of poverty ($41,300 for a family of four), was subsidizing other states, like California and New York, which had higher thresholds for eligibility. But there’s a reason some states have higher thresholds – it’s far more expensive to live in California than it is to live in Kentucky. While the Senate voted with over two-thirds of the chamber voting for the SCHIP reauthorization. the House also had a broad bipartisan vote, with 45 Republican votes in favor. Republicans Congressmen in those states with higher eligibility thresholds (and thus more to gain for their states) generally voted for the program, including 4 of the 6 New York Republican Representatives, and 3 of the 6 New Jersey Republican Representatives. This was not the case for California's delegation. Despite the support from Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, only 1 of 19 California Republican Representatives--Mary Bono--voted in favor of SCHIP. Another, Wally Herger, did not vote. THE CONSEQUENCES FOR KIDS
If Bush keeps his promise to veto the SCHIP re-authorization bill, a California HealthCare Foundation analysis by Peter Harbage, found here, shows that California could run out of money to run Healthy Families by mid-November. That means our Healthy Families program may have to disenroll 850,000 children, who would suddenly be unable to go to the doctor, the dentist, fill prescriptions and other medical needs. Bush has urged Congress to extend the program at current funding levels, but that would also be a detriment to California . Our Healthy Families program has been partially running on money that was saved up from previous years when fewer children were enrolled. With more children enrolled now, California would not have enough money to keep the currently enrolled children covered, let alone accept new children into the program. According to the CHCF analyses, that would mean California would run out of money by summer 2008, leaving all children without coverage, or dis-enrolling about 250,000 immediately in October to keep the program going for slightly longer period. WHAT’S NEXT The children’s coverage reauthorization debate has unfolded this year in tandem with the larger debate about expanded health coverage. In California , and many other states, the expansion of children’s coverage is a first step and an important building block toward a larger coverage expansion for the uninsured. Seeing this, advocates this year have worked hard and remained unified in advocating for coverage expansions for both children and adults. The work was enough to convince a majority of California ’s congressional delegation to vote in favor of the SCHIP re-authorization. Advocates are encouraged to write THANK YOU notes, to members of Congress, particularly Rep. Mary Bono, who was the only California Republican who crossed party lines to support the measure. Advocates should also write and follow up with other delegation members, such as and others who voted against the measure, to express their disappointment. Their “no’’ votes have put hundreds of thousands of California children at risk. Again, to see how the delegation voted, click here. To find your Representative, click here. To find their addresses, click here. For more information, you can contact Health Access, including Hanh Kim Quach, policy coordinator, at hquach@health-access.org, or Elizabeth Abbott, project director, at eabbott@health-access.org. Labels: Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
7:21 PM
a
Senate SCHIP Vote...
The U.S. Senate just voted for SCHIP 67-29 on a concurrence vote--a margin that could override a veto, if the House went along. Boxer and Feinstein voted in the affirmative. On to the President. Labels: Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
5:18 PM
a
How times change...
a
Who fought for their state?
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
It's disappointing SCHIP didn't get a veto proof majority. It's even more disappointing how little California was able to get there, compared to other similar states. In the SCHIP battle, a few states have been targeted, namely New York, New Jersey, and California, as states that expanded their state child health insurance programs above the norm of twice the poverty level. All three started their programs under Republican Governors (Pataki, Whitman, and Wilson, respectively). And all three have lots of children on the program now, have a high cost-of-living and are thus justified in a higher eligibility level, and recognize that SCHIP reauthorization is a big deal for the state to draw down federal funds--not to mention the benefit of providing health coverage to the children of the state. So how did we do compared to the other states that are particularly targeted? In comparison, California did poorly in getting our House Representatives to vote for the interests of their state. Of our 19 California House Republicans, only one--Mary Bono--voted for the measure. (Another did not vote.) In comparison, New Jersey had 3 out of 6 Republicans in a 13-member delegation vote for SCHIP. New York both had 4 out of 6 House Republicans in a 29-member delegation vote the interest of their state over their President. (To complete the tri-state area, Connecticut also meets the criteria above, and has only one Republican Congressman out of a 5-member delegation, and yes, he voted for SCHIP.) For whatever reason, our counterparts in the Mid-Atlantic did a much better job in getting their Representatives to represent them, in bringing in federal funds and extending coverage to children. As a result of California's inability to produce the votes, we may have to have hundreds of thousands of children disenrolled from California's Healthy Families program shortly. One would have hoped that the broad support of Republican Governors--including Governor Schwarzenegger--would have made more of an impact on the Republican Congressional Representatives. New York and New Jersey actually have Democratic Governors now, but they still were able to have some sway with their Representatives. So what's wrong with our delegation? Labels: Federal, OtherStates, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
11:16 PM
a
Roll Call on SCHIP
A victory, but a defeat. The SCHIP Reauthorization Bill, H.R. 976, passed in a broad bipartisan vote of 265-159, with 1 Representative saying "present" and 9 not voting. The problem is that the two-thirds vote needed to override a veto is 290 votes. So while the bill has a veto-proof majority in the Senate, and even though SCHIP got more House Republican votes than expected, we are 25 votes shy in the House. President Bush can veto the bill, as he has promised, and it will stick. All but 12 Democrats voted for the bill. Of the Republicans, 45 voted for it. From the California Republican delegation, it seems only Rep. Mary Bono saw fit to vote with Governor Schwarzenegger and the interest of California children. Labels: Bush, Federal, Legislation, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
8:44 PM
a
The SCHIP Showdown Today...
HEALTH ACCESS ALERTTuesday, September 25, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL VOTE TODAY TO DECIDE DIRECTION OF CHILDREN'S COVERAGE
* State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expires in five days
* President Bush has vowed to veto legislation to extend the program
* California's Healthy Families may have to disenroll hundreds of thousands of children
* Compromise $35 billion bill would cover one-half of remaining uninsured children
* ACTION ITEM: Contact your member of Congress today, to support SCHIP expansion
New on the Health Access WeBlog: SCHIP Deal; New Language Access to Care Standards at the Department of Insurance; How Close to a Deal on Health Care? Special Session Gossip.The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote TODAY, Tuesday, September 25th, on the extension and expansion of the popular State Child Health Insurance Program. The vote will determine the future of the federal program, and of children's health coverage in general. California's version of the program, Healthy Families, now covers 850,000 children. With extended federal funding, the program has the potential to meet its promise to cover the rest of California's uninsured children. Unfortunately, the big vote today could send also signal of the reverse, and force the program to consider disenrolling hundreds of thousands of Californians children. To avoid this, CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TODAY, and urge them to support of SCHIP expansion, and to support an override of President Bush. To call the Capitol swtichboard using a toll-free number, call: 1-800-828-0498. THE PROMISE: COVERING ALL KIDS; THE THREAT: KICKING KIDS OFF COVERAGEHundreds of thousands of children enrolled in Healthy Families could be abruptly dropped from health coverage as early as mid-November, unable to see a doctor, go to the hospitals and get medical treatments they need, if Congress does not vote to continue the State Children’s Health Insurance Program today with large margins. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, spoke eloquently on the Senate Floor about the importance of extending SCHIP on Monday, pointing out that private insurance is prohibitively expensive for many Americans, “These families are uninsured because they have no choice and their children have no choice.’’ Extending the SCHIP program, he said, could give those families necessary health coverage. BUSH'S VETO THREAT AND IMPACT: Yet President George W. Bush has threatened to veto the proposal, suggesting such an expansion would lead to a federal system of "government-run health care." If there is no extension is granted by the start of the federal fiscal year, federal money will run out for the program by mid-November, according to independent estimates. Mindful of the deadline, he suggested that Congress extend the program at current funding levels. Because California is using federal dollars saved from earlier years of low enrollment, an extension on current levels would not be enough to even keep the children covered who are currently enrolled, much less accept new enrollment. Such a proposal, as proposed by Rep. Barton, would force California to have to dis-enroll hundreds of thousands of children from the Healthy Families program, according to estimated commissioned by The California HealthCare Foundation. The choice for California would be cruel: either to continue to cover all the children in the program until the money runs out in summer 2007, potentially leaving all the children without coverage; or to immediately disenroll around 250,000 children in October. VOTES FOR AN OVERRIDE? The Senate has already voted for this extension with a veto-proof 2/3 majority. In order to show President Bush that they can override his veto, the U.S. House of Representatives would need 290 votes in support of the SCHIP reauthorization bill--including all Democrats, and 57 Republicans in Congress. California has 53 Congressional representatives that could make the difference, especially the Republican ones, who have the choice between loyalty to the President, or representation the best interest of their state and its children. CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TODAY. Click here for a list of California Congressional offices and contact information, including phone numbers. BACKGROUND: SCHIP's SUCCESS: The SCHIP program has been largely successfully since it passed 10 years ago with bipartisan support, enrolling 6.6 million children nationwide at a time when private health coverage through employers has been declining. In California, 850,000 children receive benefits from the Healthy Families Program. STATES SEEK TO EXPAND: Coinciding with efforts to re-authorize SCHIP, many states, including California are looking to expand the number of children who are eligible for SCHIP/Healthy Families. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his January health reform proposal, suggested that families earning up to 300 percent of poverty ($61,950 for a family of four), should be able to obtain coverage through this program. Currently, in California, families earning up to 250 percent of poverty ($51,000 for a family of four) qualify. A few other states have more more generous expansions for families earning 300 or 350 percent of poverty. New York recently sought to expand coverage to 400%, but was rejected by the Bush Administration a few weeks ago. AN EXTENSION TO MEET THE NEED: Ironically, in the same year that health reform and reducing the number of uninsured has come into national focus, President Bush has taken a stand to do the opposite. As SCHIP ticks toward its September 30th expiration, the president has declared he would veto legislation that would allow it to continue and expand coverage to about 4 million more children, halving the number of uninsured children. Estimates are that the bill Congress is considering now could help as many as 650,000 additional children in California. BUSH'S PROPOSALS: Bush favors funding the program at only $5 billion more over the current level over the next five years – rather than the additional $35 billion proposed. Such a proposal would force California to create a waiting list for children wanting to get coverage, and probably disenroll some already on the program. Additionally, Bush proposes to scale back eligibility – only allowing those who earn 200 percent of poverty ($41,300 for a family of four) or less to qualify. That would reverse gains made in 18 states, including California, who have eligibility limits higher than the 200 percent of poverty threshold. In California, that would mean 190,000 children would lose coverage. Failure to extend and expand the SCHIP program could also endanger California's efforts to pass a health reform and provide near universal coverage this year. ACTION ITEM: Please call your Representatives and urge them to support the compromise measure allocating an additional $35 billion for children and families over the next five years. To find your representatives, visit www.house.gov. Labels: Bush, Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies, Updates
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
12:41 AM
a
A compromise on kids...
Friday, September 21, 2007
The two houses of the U.S. Congress came together on a proposal to extend and re-authorize SCHIP, the State Child Health Insurance Program, called Healthy Families in California. The compromise attempts to bridge the differences between the House and Senate versions, maintain the bipartisan support, including that of Republican Senators, in the hope of getting a veto-proof majority. The proposal also attempts to address the issues--however specious--raised by President Bush. That said, the deal in uncertain to give California all the resources it need to continue its gradual increase in children's enrollment... that depends on how the formula works out. Also, the deal does make harder California's efforts to further expand coverage to middle-income children, and to parents. Yet it is likely, even expected, that Bush will veto. That's why we need the full California delegation--Republicans and Democrats--in support, since the alternative is to start kicking kids off coverage. Here's the press release from the Congress: SENATE, HOUSE ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO RENEW, IMPROVE
CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM NOW Bipartisan, bicameral coalition ready to move on full reauthorization of vital
program
Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan coalition of Senate and House leaders today announced a bicameral agreement to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional five years. CHIP provides health coverage to American children whose parents do not qualify for Medicaid, but can’t afford private insurance. The $35 billion agreement struck by House and Senate negotiators will bring health coverage to approximately ten million children in need – preserving coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP, and reaching millions more low-income, uninsured American children in the next five years.
Below is an outline of the agreement, which is designed to target specifically the lowest-income uninsured American children for outreach and enrollment. The agreement does not call for CHIP coverage for children in families at higher income levels. Instead, it reduces Federal matching funds for future coverage of children at higher income levels, and provides incentives to cover the lowest-income children instead. CHIP coverage of childless adults and parents will be phased out to maintain the program’s focus on kids.
Investing $35 Billion in New Funding for CHIP. The agreement reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program, investing an additional $35 billion over five years to strengthen CHIP’s financing, increase health insurance coverage for low-income children, and improve the quality of health care children receive.
Lowering the rate of uninsured low-income children. The agreement will provide health coverage to millions of low-income children who are currently uninsured. The bill also ensures that the 6.6 million children who currently participate in CHIP continue to receive health coverage. Pending final Congressional Budget Office estimates, the reduction in the number of uninsured children will approach four million children.
Improving Access to Benefits for Children (Dental Coverage/Mental Health Parity/EPSDT). Under the agreement, quality dental coverage will be provided to all children enrolled in CHIP. The agreement also ensures states will offer mental health services on par with medical and surgical benefits covered under CHIP, and protects medically necessary benefits (EPSDT) for low-income children. Prioritizing children’s coverage. The agreement makes several modifications as it relates to populations eligible for CHIP.
Pregnant Women: The agreement provides coverage to pregnant women as a new state option as well as preserving the options to cover them through a state waiver or through regulation.
Parents: The agreement prohibits any new waivers to cover parents in the CHIP program. States that have received waivers to cover low-income parents under CHIP will be allowed to transition parents into a separate block grant. The federal match for services to parents covered through CHIP will be reduced.
Childless Adults: The agreement retains the current law prohibition of waivers to allow coverage of childless adults. Currently covered childless adults will transition off CHIP. For states that have received CHIP waivers to cover childless adults, the agreement terminates those waivers after a one-year period, provides temporary Medicaid funding for already-enrolled adults, and allows states to apply for a Medicaid waiver for coverage.
Providing states with incentives to lower the rate of uninsured low income children. Under the financing structure, states will receive state-based allotments that are responsive to state demographic and national spending trends and allow additional up-front funding for states planning improvements. States that face a funding shortfall and meet enrollment goals will receive an adjustment payment to ensure that no child who is eligible for Medicaid or CHIP is denied coverage or placed on a waiting list. The formula also sets in place new overall caps on federal funding to ensure the program’s expenditures do not exceed the amounts authorized. The agreement provides incentives for states to lower the rate uninsured children by enrolling eligible children in CHIP or Medicaid.
Agreement Replaces CMS August 17th Letter to States. The Congress agrees with the President on the importance of covering low-income children have health coverage while taking steps to address crowd-out and prioritize coverage of lower income children. The agreement replaces the flawed CMS August 17th letter to
states with a more thoughtful and appropriate approach. In place of the CMS letter, the agreement gives states time and assistance in developing and implementing best practices to address crowd out. The agreement also puts the lowest income children first in line by phasing in a new requirement for coverage of low-income children as a condition of receiving CHIP funding for coverage of children above 300 percent of the poverty level.
Improving Outreach Tools to Simplify and Streamline Enrollment of Eligible Children. The agreement provides $100 million in grants for new outreach activities to states, local governments, schools, community-based organizations, safety-net providers and others. Improving the Quality of Health Care for Low-Income Children. The agreement establishes a new quality child health initiative to develop and implement quality measures and improve state reporting of quality data.
Improving Access to Private Coverage Options. The agreement expands on current premium assistance options for states. The agreement allows states to offer a premium assistance subsidy for qualified, cost-effective employer-sponsored coverage to children eligible for CHIP and who have access to such coverage. It also changes the federal rules governing employer-sponsored insurance to make it easier for states and employers to offer premium assistance programs.
Legislative language is currently being finalized, and will be available Monday. The House of Representatives will likely vote on legislation implementing this agreement on Tuesday of next week. The Senate will take up the measure shortly thereafter, to deliver a full renewal of the Children’s Health Insurance Program to the President for signature into law before CHIP’s current authorization expires on September 30.
Labels: Bush, ExpandingCoverage, Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
3:13 PM
a
Funny and sad...
After his well-deserved Emmy, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show has taken brief breaks from their war coverage for some short commentary on health care. On Wednesday, he spotlighted the coverage of Hillary Clinton's health plan, and the howls of "HilliaryCare," "socialized medicine," and "big government" from the right-wing pundits. He corrected a clip of Newt Gingrich, who suggested to call the plan "Daughter of HillaryCare"; Stewart responded, "Wouldn't that be ChelseaCare?" He spotlighted CNN's chiron, which really did state, remarkably, "Clinton on Health Care: Why is she trying again?" On Thursday, Stewart mocked the President's attack of the SCHIP program as a "government-run" program: "Oh my god, there's gonna put communism in our kids' drinking water! And inject them with the gay and load them onto Micheal Moore and float them to Cuba! Wake up America!" In responding to Bush's statement that he instead wanted "to empower people and their doctors...," Stewart said, "I figured out the disconnect. You see, he thinks the uninsured have doctors." It would be funny if it wasn't sad. Back to the war. Labels: Federal, Funny
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
12:16 AM
a
Kicking kids off coverage...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The New York Times reports on a press conference this morning by President Bush, again threatening a veto on extension and expansion of the State Child Health Insurance Program. He's right about the philosophical divide: "What I'm describing here is a philosophical divide that exists in Washington over the best approach for health care. Democratic leaders in Congress want to put more power in the hands of government by expanding federal health care programs. Their S-CHIP plan is an incremental step toward the goal of government-run health care for every American."
Instead, President Bush is seeking to disenroll children and leave them uninsured. "Congress must pass a clean, temporary extension of the current S-CHIP program that I can sign by September the 30th. And that's the date when the program expires." If there's a flat extension, without any increase in funding, California will have to disenroll children in Healthy Families, our SCHIP program. In recent years, we've been using SCHIP funds that we had saved during the earlier years, when we had low enrollments. If we just got the federal allotment we got last year, it doesn't just mean that Healthy Families has to install a waiting list. It means actively kicking kids off coverage. If this impass lasts the entire year, we are talking of hundreds of thousands of children. Labels: Bush, Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
2:47 PM
a
Overdrive!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
The SCHIP debate is on. A filibuster-proof, veto-proof 68 votes in the Senate! A majority in the House-- 225 votes! California advocates need to work on the California Republican delegation, which unanimously voted against the CHAMP Act, voting against the health care of our seniors and children. If those Congressmen actually voted in our state's interest, we could play a major part in getting the veto-proof majority needed. There's still August recess for the two houses to hammer out differences and send President Bush a renewal for SCHIP that will fully fund the effort to cover all eligible children. Much more work to do, but a strong start. Labels: Bush, Federal, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
9:17 PM
a
Jersey Devils...
Friday, July 20, 2007
It's astounding that the debate on the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has gotten so polarized, with President Bush campaigning against it. This is a program that has been bipartisan since its beginnings, passing a Republican Congress, including one led by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. The talking points by President Bush and some Republicans legislative suggest that the program has gone well beyond its original intent, covering children above twice the federal poverty level, and parents as well. Even some supporters of expanded SCHIP tell their conservative colleagues that SCHIP reauthorization is a way to reign in states.  The poster child for this bad behavior is New Jersey, and I now I must confess my role. I ran the state health consumer advocacy coalition when working at New Jersey Citizen Action, when we were able to win expansions of coverage for: * children up to 350% of the federal poverty level (around $60K for a family of 3), and * their parents as well, up to 200% of the federal poverty level ($34K for a family of 3). This goes well beyond what most other states have done, including "left-coast" California, which only covers children up to 250% of the poverty level ($43K for a family of 3), and is currently proposing to go up to 300% ($52K for a family of 3) as part of broader health reform. [California did approve but never implemented a parent expansion.]  But it wasn't just me and the various children's, consumer, and community groups in support of this conspiracy of New Jersey devils toward "government-run health care for every American," according the President Bush. The New Jersey Legislature that approved these changes was a Republican Assembly and a Republican Senate. The Governor was Christie Todd Whitman, a blue-blood Republican that President Bush thought highly enough of that he included her in his Cabinet the next year. How times have changed. Labels: Federal, OtherStates, SCHIPHealthyFamilies
posted by Anthony Wright |
Permalink |
12:19 PM
a
Money Matters: Major Moves in CA & US on Health
HEALTH ACCESS UPDATE
Friday, July 20th, 2007MONEY MATTERS: CA BUDGET; SCHIP BILL PASSES U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE• Bipartisan 17-4 Vote to Expand Children's Coverage, including CA's Healthy Families• House Expected to Consider Broader Proposal; Bush Threatens Veto
• CA Budget Considered in Full Assembly; Heads to CA Senate
Click Here for What's New on the Health Access WeBlog: More on SCHIP Mark-Up; Will Bush Veto?; Study on Tax Credits and High Deductibles; Grocery Worker Strike Averted; Sicko; Germany's Health System; Language Access Comments Due at Department of InsuranceCA ASSEMBLY PASSES BUDGET: Starting almost at midnight last night and going well into this morning, the California Assembly stayed into the night to consider and pass a proposed deal on the state budget.
In presenting the budget, Budget Conference Committee Chair John Laird stated that "There's a lot to like about this budget," pointing out the many areas that are fully funded. However, he did mention significant reductions, particularly to public transit, and mentioned that "health and human services do suffer cuts." He stated that the goal of the last week of negotiation was to get "a budget that appeals to both sides of the aisle," and as such, mentioned there were "no new social programs."
With the Assembly passing the measure, the hope is that the Senate will consider the measure today, Friday, although the outcome is unclear at this writing. The budget is for the 2007-8 fiscal year that has already started, on July 1, 2007.
Health Access will review the new budget documents, including the health and human services budget trailer bill, and post any health related news on the Health Access WeBlog over the next few days.
US SENATE SCHIP DEAL MOVES AHEAD: Yesterday, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee marked up and passed a major bill to reauthorize and expand the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This action is an important step for California, which is depending on these deliberations to fund coverage for the over 800,000 children on our state's Healthy Families program, and to help reach the goal of covering all children.
The bill mark-up, which provides for $35 billion in additional funding for SCHIP, was approved by a vote of 17-4. All of the Democrats and 6 Republicans (Grassley, Hatch, Snowe, Smith, Crapo, and Roberts) voted for passage. Lott, Kyl, Ensign, and Bunning were the 4 no votes. It now heads to the Senate floor.
As proposed last week, the bill raises these funds with a 61 cent increase in the national tobacco tax, bringing that tax to a flat $1.00. After the mark-up, the bill now also includes an Express Lane state demonstraton program, mental health parity, and dental health grants. Families USA has a more detailed update, including the full mark-up documents, at their Medicaid Action Center on their website at:
http://familiesusa.org/resource-centers/medicaid-action-center/
Amendments were suggested to weaken the bill, but they failed, including policies such as allowing premium assistance to be used to purchase high-deductible plans and restricting CHIP eligibility to 300% of poverty. Amendments that would have strengthened the bill (like increasing the funding to $50 billion and adding ICHIA) were withdrawn before a vote, largely because they were unlikely to pass at this time.
In a teleconference call with a California convening, a Democratic staffer for Majority Leader Reid noted that the proposal was not all that Democrats has wanted--including the $50 billion amount that health and children's advocates had pushed--but they needed to get bipartisan support, given that, under Senate rules, any bill needs 60 votes to pass, which means getting all Democratic votes and 10 Republican votes.
HOUSE PLANS: At that same teleconference convening, a staff for Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that the House hope to pass a broader health care package, also in July, to allow for negotiations over the Congress' August recess to reconcile the measure with the Senate. The desire is to negotiate a final deal for passage in September.
The $100 billion health package is expected to include elements on provider reimbursement, low-income senior assistance, and $50 billion for children's coverage reauthorization and expansion. It would also be funded by a tobacco tax, as well as a readjustment of subsidies to Medicare HMOs.
BUSH'S VETO THREAT: While the Congress is debating how much to expand children's coverage, and how to fund it, President Bush has indicated that he would veto the children's coverage bill passed in the Senate Committee.
Despite his 2004 campaign convention speech promising to enroll more children in SCHIP programs, the President's original budget included only a $5 billion increase, which would force many states, including California, to dump children from the program or have children placed on waiting lists. Bush has repeatedly denounced the bill as a step toward “government-run health care for every American,” describing it as a “massive expansion of the federal role” in health care, financed by “a huge tax increase.”
While SCHIP has traditionally been a program with broad bipartisan support, having originally passed in a Congress headed by former Speaker Newt Gingrich, several Republican Senators used similar talking points in the debate today.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, on their website, has new papers that provide facts disputing these assertions, including addressing the issue of "crowd-out," where an expansion of a public program replaces existing private coverage. These papers are available now, at:
http://www.cbpp.org/
ACTION NEEDED: Contact Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and more urgently, your U.S. Representative, and urge them to support full funding for SCHIP and children's coverage. Families USA is hosting a toll-free line to make this call at 1-800-828-0498, and a website to faciliate E-mails at:
http://ga3.org/campaign/childrenshealth
Labels: Budget, |
-
-
feed
feed
Topic Search Other Blogs Our Bloggers Contact Us weblog@health-access.org
