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"Fix what's broken and build on what works."
It's President Obama's mantra for health reform. It may be hard to see how Congress will accomplish that when so far we've only seen proposals that would eliminate (as we know it) a program that works well--CHIP--and move the children it covers to Medicaid or Exchange health plans. But, in fact, health reform could build on CHIP while largely doing away with the program. How? By taking the lessons learned from 10 years of running CHIP programs across the country and applying them to the coverage available under health reform. The name and structure of the program matter little as long as kids are getting quality, affordable, accessible care.
There is a quiet group of professionals that knows these lessons well, since they have been providing access to affordable, quality health coverage to uninsured children and families for years. They are the state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program directors. As national policymakers look for ways to improve our health care system, they should follow President Obama's advice to "build on what works" and look to these professionals for their important lessons. Catherine Hess and Maureen Hensley-Quinn of NASHP worked with the nation's CHIP directors to draw out a number of these lessons from CHIP that can inform health reform. In a new State Health Policy Briefing, they identify the successes that should stay a part of children's coverage efforts and suggest some ways to assure a smooth transition between existing coverage programs and the new ones envisioned in health reform. It's worth a read for those who care about keeping kids' coverage strong.
It's President Obama's mantra for health reform. It may be hard to see how Congress will accomplish that when so far we've only seen proposals that would eliminate (as we know it) a program that works well--CHIP--and move the children it covers to Medicaid or Exchange health plans. But, in fact, health reform could build on CHIP while largely doing away with the program. How? By taking the lessons learned from 10 years of running CHIP programs across the country and applying them to the coverage available under health reform. The name and structure of the program matter little as long as kids are getting quality, affordable, accessible care.
There is a quiet group of professionals that knows these lessons well, since they have been providing access to affordable, quality health coverage to uninsured children and families for years. They are the state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program directors. As national policymakers look for ways to improve our health care system, they should follow President Obama's advice to "build on what works" and look to these professionals for their important lessons. Catherine Hess and Maureen Hensley-Quinn of NASHP worked with the nation's CHIP directors to draw out a number of these lessons from CHIP that can inform health reform. In a new State Health Policy Briefing, they identify the successes that should stay a part of children's coverage efforts and suggest some ways to assure a smooth transition between existing coverage programs and the new ones envisioned in health reform. It's worth a read for those who care about keeping kids' coverage strong.
CHIP directors are the unsung heros of children's health care. The President and Congress should look to them for advice on what works.