I love that show! No, wait, that’s not it. Not plural.
So crunchy! Dang, that’s not it either.
Children’s Health Insurance Program. In 1997 people decided that children not having health insurance in America, a country that spends 15% of the world’s largest GDP on health care, was a bad thing. Since people can always rally around “the children” they created the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, funding matching grants to the states to provide health insurance to the children who weren’t eligible for Medicaid due to income, but didn’t have health insurance through a parental employer.
Section 2101 of the PPACA expands this program by offering more money to the states (23%!) to increase enrollment. If there isn’t enough money, then those children will be eligible for the Exchanges. The plans offered must meet be comparable to pediatric care available through qualified health plans. If a child is made ineligible for Medicaid because of changes to the eligibility of that program, that child will be eligible for CHIP.
Section 2102 is called Technical Corrections. They are very technical.
Section 2201 discusses how to simplify enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP, and how those programs can be coordinated with the Health Insurance Exchanges. Short answer – the Internet!
Section 2202 gives authority to the hospitals to make presumptive declarations about who is eligible for Medicaid.
The next subpart discusses improvements to Medicaid services.
Section 2301 allows coverage for freestanding birth centers for pregnancy, assuming it is licensed as such.
Section 2302 is really depressing. It says that you can pay for both hospice care and treatment for sick children at once. I told you it was depressing.
Section 2303 provides for family planning services for women who are not pregnant.
Section 2304 is a clarification of the definition of medical assistance. It’s not the world’s most interesting definition, but important, I supposed.
I think I could have come up with more than 4 improvements to Medicaid, but I guess you have to start somewhere.
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