Federal Budget, Reconciliation, and Medicaid
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and their aftermath delayed the federal budget reconciliation process for six weeks. On November 18, 2005, the House of Representatives passed its reconciliation package (H.R. 4241) cutting approximately $50 billion from the federal budget over five years, including approximately $11 billion from the Medicaid program. Ealier in November, the Senate passed its version of the reconciliation package (S. 1932) cutting $35 billion over five years, including approximately $4.3 billion from Medicaid program.
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Virgin Island's Health Reform Initiative Gaining Momentum
As a result of the data collection and planning activities performed under the Virgin Island's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) State Planning Grant (SPG), the territory has introduced a major plan to significantly reduce the current level of uninsurance (approximately 24 percent) down to 13 percent in just one year. The "Governor's Health Reform Initiative" was unveiled in October to legislators and the business community and will mandate that employers provide low-cost health care coverage for their lowest paid workers and require those employees to accept. Eighty percent of businesses in the Virgin Islands have 20 or fewer employees, many of which are low-income.
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Oklahoma Premium Assistance Plan Approved by CMS
On September 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the Oklahoma Premium Assistance Plan under the federal Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) initiative. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority submitted the waiver seeking to cover an additional 50,000 Oklahoma residents with incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) in the Oklahoma Employer/Employee Partnership for Insurance Coverage (O-EPIC).
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National Health Access Program Enrolling Workers
In an effort to reduce the nation's uninsured population, a coalition of large employers recently opened the National Health Access (NHA) program for enrollment. Targeting workers and their dependents that generally are not eligible for employer-sponsored insurance (part-time, seasonal, contractors, consultants, and pre-65 retirees), the NHA program pools workers across 60 large employers so that workers can access six plan options with varying levels of coverage. The program opened for enrollment in September 2005 for a January 2006 effective date.
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Child Health Promotion Conference Slated for December in Wilmington, Del.
Nemours Health and Prevention Services (NHPS) complements its treatment services, research, and training programs by working with families and communities to help children grow up healthy, both physically and emotionally. NHPS is holding its first conference, "Planting the Seeds for Better Health," December 8 - 9, 2005, in Wilmington, Del. The conference will focus on best practices for developing child health promotion and disease prevention programs to help children of all cultures grow up healthy.
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Reports of Interest
Check for the most recently released reports on coverage.
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Coming Soon from State Coverage Initiatives
Save the Date: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) program is pleased to announce that its 2006 National Meeting for State Officials will be held on February 23 - 24, 2006, at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.
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