Patients Under Pressure: Profiles of How Families Affected by Cancer Are Faring in the Recession

Describes how the loss of jobs and health insurance affected six cancer patients and their families. Examines barriers to maintaining health coverage, purchasing non-group coverage, and limitations on public coverage

Job-based Coverage Drops for Adults and Children but Public Programs Boost Children's Coverage

Provides a profile of non-elderly Californians' health insurance coverage and lack of coverage, and describes how these rates have changed. Estimates the number of children and adults who are uninsured but eligible for coverage through public programs

Take-Up of Public Insurance and Crowd-out of Private Insurance Under Recent CHIP Expansions to Higher Income Children

We analyze the effects of states’ expansions of CHIP eligibility to children in higher income families during 2002-2009 on take-up of public coverage, crowd-out of private coverage, and rates of uninsurance. Our results indicate these expansions were associated with limited uptake of public coverage and only a two percentage point reduction in the uninsurance rate among these children. Because not all of the take-up of public insurance among eligible children is accounted for by children who transfer from being uninsured to having public insurance, our results suggest that there may be some crowd-out of private insurance coverage; the upper bound crowd-out rate we calculate is 46 percent.

Rates of public health insurance coverage for children rise as rates of private coverage decline

This brief uses data from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 American Community Survey to document changes in rates of children’s health insurance, between private and public. The authors report that, nationally, private health insurance for children decreased by just under 2 percentage points, while public health insurance increased by nearly 3 percentage points. Rural places and central cities witnessed significant declines in rates of private health insurance for children in nearly every region. Rates of public insurance coverage rose in every region and place type. Children’s health insurance coverage overall continued to rise in 2010, increasing by 0.6 of a percentage point since 2009, and 1.9 percentage points since 2008

Reporting on Pathways to Health Insurance Coverage: California's Experience

The Affordable Care Act opened new and expanded pathways to public health insurance coverage. Since 2014, many states have broadened their eligibility criteria for Medicaid, and have introduced new access points for Medicaid enrollment. During this time, publicly subsidized health insurance coverage also became available through state health insurance exchanges and through the federal health insurance marketplace. Recognizing there is a great deal to learn about who applies for and obtains these types of public coverage, the federal government and some states have established new data reporting efforts on how people use both new and existing pathways to health insurance coverage. In 2014 and 2015, Mathematica Policy Research supported the launch of such a reporting effort in California, with funding from the California Health Care Foundation. In this brief, we describe California's experience in reporting on applications, eligibility determinations, enrollments and coverage renewals for public insurance, highlight some of the practical implications of California's first few reports, and offer lessons for other states that are launching comparable reporting efforts. Key Findings: The open enrollment period drives enrollment growth for both qualified health plans and Medi-Cal, even though Medi-Cal enrollment remains open year-round. Insurance coverage was more stable over time than expected. During the second open enrollment period, 92 percent of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans in California renewed their coverage from the previous year. During that same period about 80 percent of Medi-Cal beneficiaries remained eligible for coverage. California's experience with reporting on public insurance coverage suggests that significant effort is needed to carefully define measures, produce data that are meaningful to multiple audiences, and communicate findings clearly. Public data reporting can be a powerful tool for advancing transparency and identifying areas for improvement. State officials in California now have an opportunity to examine local variation in application and enrollment measures to identify policy or process differences that might be driving different outcomes across the state

Children's Health Coverage Facts and Figures

Outlines trends in children's health insurance in California. Reviews 1997-2009 milestones in expanding coverage and examines uninsurance rates; eligibility for and enrollment in public programs; sources of coverage by income and age; and access to care

How Non-Group Health Coverage Varies with Income

Looks at what percentage of people with neither employer-sponsored nor public coverage purchase private non-group health insurance, by income level and family type. Points to the need to make non-group coverage more affordable and more attractive

Health Care Reform for Children With Public Coverage

Compares private and public coverage for low-income children. Explores the implications of proposed changes to Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs and creation of an insurance exchange for their coverage and access to health care

The Effects of Large Premium Increases on Individuals, Families, and Small Businesses

Estimates the impact of rising insurance premiums on coverage, costs, adverse selection, public spending, and small employers' offers of insurance under three scenarios. Compares projections for loss of coverage by age, income, and type of insurance

An Analysis of Leading Congressional Health Care Bills, 2007-2008: Part I, Insurance Coverage

Compares coverage and cost estimates of bills to improve health coverage through private-public approaches, universal public insurance, tax changes, increased coverage for children and the disabled, expanded health savings accounts, and other strategies