Summary of House and Senate CHIP Legislation
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covers nearly nine million children and is a key contributor to record low levels of uninsurance among children. However, Congress only provided funding for CHIP through fiscal year (FY) 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017 and has not yet acted to authorize new funding for FY 2018. This Issue Brief reviews the current status of state CHIP programs in light of the CHIP funding extension delay and summarizes key features of proposed House and Senate extension legislation.
Impact of Executive Order and Non-payment of CSRs on State Insurance Markets
State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar for states on the Executive Order affecting state insurance markets and the implications for states of discontinuation of CSR payments. The webinar featured insurance market experts from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Manatt Health who discussed the elements of the Executive Order, what states can expect in the coming weeks, and the policy decisions states can consider.
Proposals to Renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program: An Update on Developments
Following the expiration of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), both the House and the Senate have turned their attention to the program’s renewal. As states know well, the program was provided with funding through fiscal year 2017, which ended on September 30th, creating pressure for Congress to act quickly before states begin to run out of CHIP dollars in the coming weeks and months. Both the Senate and the House recently have taken up legislation to provide funding for an additional five years and make a number of other modifications to the bill.
Value-based Purchasing for Managed Care Procurements: A Toolkit for State Medicaid Agencies
Value Based Purchasing for Managed Care Procurement: A Toolkit for State Medicaid Agencies is designed to assist states interested in implementing value-based purchasing (VBP) approaches with their Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). Using a VBP approach can mean significant and ongoing changes for a state Medicaid agency and its MCOs. The Toolkit is designed to guide Medicaid agencies through key action steps and considerations in four phases of the managed care procurement cycle – 1) strategic procurement planning, 2) solicitation development, 3) bidder selection, and 4) contract management.
Future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Considerations for States
The expiration of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding on September 30, 2017 raises four critical issues for states: 1) the timing of reauthorization, and what the level of allotment and duration of any extension will be, 2) whether the 23 percent increase to federal matching funds will continue, 3) whether maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements will continue unchanged, and 4) operational considerations for states, including notices to members and budget planning.
Key Takeaways from the Revised Graham-Cassidy Proposal and CBO Preliminary Analysis
The brief provides an overview of the most recent changes to the Graham-Cassidy repeal and replace proposal and a just-released preliminary analysis of the proposal by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). On September 13th, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA)—along with Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)—released a new proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). On September 25th, the sponsors released several updates to the proposed legislation. Also on September 25th, the CBO provided its preliminary analysis of one of the earlier versions of the bill.
Future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Considerations for States
The expiration of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding on September 30, 2017 raises four critical issues for states: 1) the timing of reauthorization, and what the level of allotment and duration of any extension will be, 2) whether the 23 percent increase to federal matching funds will continue, 3) whether maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements will continue unchanged, and 4) operational considerations for states, including notices to members and budget planning.
Understanding the Graham-Cassidy Proposal: Implications for States
In a final effort to pass a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before reconciliation instructions expire on September 30th, Senators Graham and Cassidy are advancing a proposal that would retain many key provisions of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) – including per capita caps for Medicaid non-expansion populations – and replace federal funding for tax credits, cost sharing reductions, Medicaid expansion, and the Basic Health Program with a capped allotment that would be distributed to states in the form of a block grant.
Update: State Policy and Budget Impacts of New Graham-Cassidy Repeal and Replace Proposal
An overview of the proposal released on September 13th by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA)—along with Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)—to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This is an updated version of the proposal that Senators Graham and Cassidy filed on July 27th. The Graham-Cassidy Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal and replace legislation would retain many features of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) voted down by the Senate on July 25th, including per capita caps on Medicaid spending and elimination of the individual and employer mandates. However, it also goes beyond that proposal by converting Marketplace and Medicaid expansion federal funding into a block grant.
Future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Considerations for States
Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is set to expire on September 30th, raising multiple issues for states. State Health and Value Strategies, in partnership with technical experts from Manatt Health, hosted a webinar to discuss key considerations for states as Congress debates CHIP reauthorization. Topics included the funding level and duration of the extension, maintenance of the 23 point FMAP bump, maintenance of effort requirements, and operational implications of reauthorization timing.