Recently there has been a surge in the number of immigrant children crossing illegally into the United States through the southern border. This crisis provides us with the opportunity to take a closer look at immigration reform policy and how current legislation is creating more gaps in access to health care for immigrants. (more…)
Obamacare
Increasing Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are the two largest public health insurance programs for working and low-income children families in the United States. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), both of these programs have seen an increase in enrollment across the country during the past year even in states, such as Texas, that have decided not to expand Medicaid eligibility to poor adults. As of May 2014, Texas had 80,435 new enrollees in Medicaid– a 1.8% increase over pre-ACA figures. However, roughly 874,000 Texans eligible for Medicaid and CHIP have still not enrolled, including over 700,000 children. (more…)
A World Without CHIP
In her post on Feb 10, Dr Shae Anderson reminded us that federal funding for CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) will soon expire in September 2015. In order to voice its continued support of CHIP and to call for providers to advocate to their legislators, the AAP recently released a revised policy statement on the program in March. (more…)
More Children with Insurance and No Medical Care
On March 31, 2014, Dr. Katie Collins commented on insurance company restrictions as to where patients can receive covered care. The post highlighted that having insurance does not guarantee that a family can see their preferred medical providers. As we continue to educate families on network restrictions, we must also address another population that has insurance but restricted access to healthcare: the child enrolled in Medicaid. (more…)
Why So Many Insurance Cancellations?
There’s been a lot in the news about the Affordable Care Act and healthcare.gov rollout, but why so many people are receiving insurance cancellation letters may not be entirely clear. Watch this 2 minute video by Sarah Cliff from the Washington Post about what it all means.
by Dolly Lucio Sevier, MD
Pediatric Advocacy 