Mathematica Reports on Continuity of Health Coverage for Kids
The small proportion of children covered by Medicaid who experience
disruptions in coverage tend to be the ones who need it the most,
according to ?“Discontinuous Coverage in Medicaid and the Implications
of
12-Month Continuous Coverage for Children.?” Simplifying procedures for
maintaining coverage and facilitating continuous coverage in Medicaid
and
SCHIP could help eliminate disparities in health coverage and access.
http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/redirect.asp?strsite=discontinuous.pdf
**Why Eligible Children Lose or Leave SCHIP
Some children are leaving CHIP because they are getting health coverage
elsewhere, but 31 percent lapse out of the program because their
parents
did not realize they were required to renew their enrollment, forgot to
do
so or had difficulty making payments, according to this National
Academy
for State Health Policy report. States could improve the retention of
eligible children by better educating families about the renewal
process,
providing quicker responses to parents?’ questions, and offering better
training for CHIP staff.
http://www.nashp.org/press/prs0009.htm
**Birth Defects Tracking and Prevention: Too Many States Don?’t Make the
Grade
The Trust for America?’s Health has released a report card that grades
states on their efforts to monitor and research birth defects.
http://healthyamericans.org/state/birthdefects/
**Expanding CHIP for More Income Levels
Uninsured children who are not extremely poor have similar health care
needs and benefit from participation in a public health insurance
program
just as much as the poorest children do, according to new research in
Massachusetts. The study demonstrates the benefits of expanding income
eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Plans (SCHIP) and
suggests that providing coverage to children in the "higher" income
category won't cost significantly more than it does for poorer
children.
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/febschip.htm
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State by State News
California
California plans to expand coverage to 300,000 uninsured parents,
primarily of SCHIP children.
http://www.nga.org/center/divisions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEF^D_3170,00.html