Insurance Coverage and Medical Care

On Aug. 30, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and a bipartisan group of 7 other governors released a letter to congressional leaders that outlines reforms Congress should consider to strengthen states’ health insurance markets. 

Congress must vote by Sept. 30 to ensure the future of federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. States are following this vote closely, as 8.9 million children per year are insured under CHIP.

The latest version of the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act, or BCRA, was released July 20, 2017. According to the CBO analysis, the new version of the BCRA would reduce federal deficits by $420 billion over the 2017-2026 period, the net result of a direct spending decrease of $903 billion partially offset by a $483 billion decrease in revenues. Of special interest to states, the reduction in Medicaid spending is $772 billion, or 85 percent of the reduced spending, directly impacting states’ budgets. The effects of the bill on the number of uninsured is little changed from the earlier version. In 2018, 15 million more people would be uninsured than under current law and would reach 22 million in 2026.

Last week in Washington, D.C. 27 state legislative leaders gathered for the sixth annual CSG Medicaid 101 Policy Academy. Attention was focused on the Medicaid reform plan, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, under consideration in the U.S. Senate following the House approval of the American Health Care Act in early May. CSG prepared a brief side-by-side comparison of the...

On May 3, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).