More Than 95 Percent of U.S. Children Had Health Insurance in 2015

In this brief, author Michael Staley examines rates of children’s health insurance across the United States, by region and by place type, breaking down rates by private and public coverage. He reports that over 95 percent of all U.S. children under age 18 were covered by some form of health insurance in 2015—the highest share since the American Community Survey began measuring insurance rates in 2008. Rates of coverage increased between 2014 and 2015 in all four U.S. regions, and the greatest growth occurred in the South and West. Growth in public insurance—Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program— remained a major driver of increases in children’s coverage: over 375,000 more children were covered in 2015 than in the previous year. For the second consecutive year, however, rates of private health insurance coverage increased among children: in 2015, approximately 150,000 more children were covered by private insurance than in the previous year. The author concludes that any future attempts to reform health insurance ought to be scrutinized for their impact on children’s health insurance

Legislative update : The mixed bag of Medicare drug coverage

Drugs ; Insurance, Health

Attitudes Toward Contraception Among Fourth Wave College-Aged Women

This research examines how college-aged women today view contraception in comparison to the ways it has been viewed by previous generations of women, as well as what they view the future of contraception in the United States to look like. This has been done through a lens of political action and advocacy, which has defined the fight for access to contraception and reproductive justice throughout history. In light of the recent threats on contraception and the corresponding responsive social movements, such as the Women’s March, women in the United States are shifting their views on the matter, but what actions are they taking?Reproductive health is highly politicized, yet college-aged/millennial women are not accustomed to an administration that attacks contraception and their access to it. In response to the current American political climate, we\u27ve seen an embracing of feminism in the mainstream media and feminist organization, such as the Women\u27s March, but have yet to see any policy change. The question this has led me to explore is whether or not attacks on access to contraception will politically mobilize and unite women. This research is based in interviews with women on the Gettysburg College campus and the analysis of data on racial, geographic, and class disparities in health care/access in order to understand the politicization of contraception in women\u27s lives

The Promise of the Affordable Care Act, the Practical Realities of Implementation: Maintaining Health Coverage During Life Transitions

Recommends policy options for outreach, education, and automatic application to ensure that all Americans can maintain coverage in the event of unemployment, divorce, early retirement, or other life transitions through health insurance exchanges

Active Purchasing for Health Insurance Exchanges

Examines the extent to which exchanges could be active purchasers that contract selectively with carriers, set stricter criteria, or negotiate discounts to leverage high-quality, affordable coverage, and not simply provide the broadest array of plans

As You Like It

We celebrate the best of Shakespeare with laughter...music...dances...romance...comedy at all levels. The story of how the banished Duke, Rosalind, Orlando and others find happiness through love is one of the most delightful of all Shakespearean tales. The wit of the clown, Touchstone, the philosophy of All the world\u27s a stage... , the music of It was a lover and his lass... , the earthy needs of the country people, the romantic honesty of young lovers in tune with nature...all can be found in As You Like It.https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/production_1907-1958/1000/thumbnail.jp

Executive Authority to Reform Health: Options and Limitations

Presidential power has provoked increasingly vigorous debate since the turn of this century. In recent years, scholars and lawyers have been grappling with how Congress\u27s dictates may limit the President\u27s Commander-in-Chief power to detain enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay, to fight wars abroad, and to conduct intelligence activities at home. But policymakers have not yet explored the many possibilities for invoking the President\u27s Take Care power to change health care policy. This paper explores the scope and limits of President Barack Obama\u27s ability to invoke his executive authority to reform health care. Specifically, it identifies ways the Obama Administration can use directives to: (1) expand Medicaid and SCHIP coverage through section 1115 waivers; (2) test quality initiatives through Medicare demonstration authority; (3) expand health information technology; (4) allow drug reimportation and experiment with contracting power under Medicare; (5) enhance patient protections and private coverage requirements; (6) lift coverage restrictions on Medicaid and SCHIP; and (7) build on the health insurance program for federal employees. Consistent with the mission of the Legal Solutions in Health Reform project, this paper does not endorse a particular policy. Instead of recommending what, it explains how

Legal Solutions in Health Reform: Executive Authority to Reform Health: Options and Limitations

Examines which healthcare reforms the president can implement without congressional approval and how. Identifies options for promoting and directing agency actions on specific policy goals, as well as legal, budgetary, and legislative constraints

Expanding Medicaid in the Postpartum Period

This Comment will discuss how the current Medicaid law is insufficient to address the issue of disappointing maternal health outcomes in the United States and how the federal government should begin to remedy the problem. First, I will shed light on the maternal health crisis in the United States, before discussing the history of pregnancy and postpartum Medicaid coverage. Then, I will outline the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the subsequent court battle over its constitutionality, and the effects of that decision on the current landscape of pregnancy and postpartum Medicaid coverage. Finally, I will detail my proposal for Congress to mandate one year of postpartum coverage and discuss the relevant reasons supporting the necessity of such coverage before demonstrating the legality of the proposal under current law