State legislature is working to broaden eligibility for the kids’ coverage but not their uninsured parents. Lawmakers in Florida are working to expand the eligibility for the KidCare children’s health insurance program, but advocates are pointing out that the state won’t be following in North Carolina’s footsteps, where there was recently a vote to broaden Medicaid’s reach to an estimated 600,000 North Carolinians. It is unlikely that Florida will make similar changes to expand the availability of Medicaid in 2023, as has been the case in a number of Republican…
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Idaho kids health insurance system may have been overpaid
The federal government claims it paid $3.1 million too much, thought the state disagrees. A federal agency claims it overpaid the Idaho kids health insurance program by $3.1 million from 2010 through 2013. This, according to an Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services audit. Idaho completely disagrees and says that all the payments it received were fully justified. The kids health insurance audit suggested that there was an overpayment and that it was Idaho’s fault. The report indicated the state should be…
Read MoreUS government shutdown leaves CHIP without funding
Senate failed to pass the House-sponsored continuing resolution (CR) to the president on Friday. The Senate was unable to advance the House-sponsored CR ahead of a US government shutdown last week. It left the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) unfunded, placing many states at risk of losing their medical coverage for kids from low income families. The “Cadillac tax” has also failed to move forward, as the government shutdown began at midnight on Saturday. The six year extension of CHIP funding had bipartisan support. Both Republicans and Democrats were in…
Read MoreCHIP funding will run dry in several states by the end of January
Kids in many places across the country and whose families have low incomes will be without health insurance. CHIP funding was allowed to expire on September 30, 2017 and, despite the fact that the program has bipartisan support, it still has not been renewed. States have been doing what they could to compensate for the medical expenses without federal money. Unfortunately, some states haven’t fared as well as others. Now, many of the 9 million children enrolled in the program, as well as pregnant mothers and babies born over the…
Read MoreTexas Children’s Health Insurance Program to receive $135 Million
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is sending funds to the state to keep the program alive. The Texas Children’s Health Insurance Program was rapidly running out of funds as federal Congress has yet to renew CHIP’s funding. That said, the Texas Health and Services Commission wrote to Governor Greg Abbott to inform him that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be providing the state with $135 million to sustain the program until the end of February. In Texas, CHIP provides over 450,000 uninsured kids…
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