skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Advocates: Build Back Better's CHIP, Medicaid Changes Support NY Families

play audio
Play

Wednesday, December 1, 2021   

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act will soon get a vote in the U.S. Senate, and in New York, advocates say it could mean major improvements to health coverage for lower-income adults and children.

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families said states would be required to provide 12 months of continuous eligibility for children in enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Lara Kassel, coalition coordinator for Medicaid Matters New York, said Build Back Better also would increase postpartum coverage for new mothers, from 60 days to 12 months.

"We don't want someone to suddenly, 60 days after they've given birth, be without coverage," Kassel asserted. "We know that transitioning from program to program is not always successful. It's not always affordable for someone. And so, to have the economic security of Medicaid coverage is really critical."

New York is among 24 states already offering continuous one-year eligibility for children in Medicaid and CHIP, but just over half do not. Supporters of the bill say they want it passed by Christmas, but with increasing inflation, detractors are concerned about the cost, and could push for trimming its scope.

Build Back Better would also permanently extend federal funding for CHIP, which provides coverage to 6.8 million children whose family income is still low, but above the Medicaid eligibility level.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families, said the bill would remove financial uncertainty for many families who depend on CHIP to insure their kids.

"Hopefully this will provide an opportunity, with stability in the CHIP program, to allow states to try to get to the finish line here and get all kids covered," Alker contended.

The Children's Health Insurance Program currently has federal funding through 2027. Nearly 93% of eligible New York children are enrolled either in Medicaid or the state's CHIP program, "Child Health Plus."

Disclosure: Georgetown University Center for Children & Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


The California Department of Conservation is holding a public meeting online on Sept. 24, to update the public on its progress in plugging abandoned oil wells. (Alizada Studios/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021