- More kids in poverty and families hurting, report finds, By Matt Hopf, February 11, 2010, State Journal-Register: “Poverty is forcing more families to seek help from non-profit groups to keep roofs over their heads. That’s the grim news from the Illinois Kids Count 2010 Report, released Thursday by the advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children. Carol Harms of Springfield Catholic Charities said the organization last year saw 1,494 new cases of people who had never asked for help before. More than 6,500 families received help from the organization in fiscal year 2009…”
- Agencies fear state cuts will be setback for Illinois Q-C kids, By Barb Ickes, February 12, 2010, Quad-City Times: “The people who help poor and homeless children in the Illinois Quad-Cities are sounding the alarm. Just as poverty levels have climbed with jobless rates, the Illinois legislature is facing massive cuts that ‘threaten’ services to children who already are suffering, they say…”
- Rockford beats Chicago for highest child poverty rate, By Matt Williams, February 11, 2010, Rockford Register Star: “One in three children here lives in poverty, giving Rockford the dubious distinction of having the highest child poverty rate among Illinois’ 10 largest cities. Statistics released today in the 2010 Illinois Kids Count Report show that 34 percent of Rockford’s children live in poverty. That’s 3 percentage points higher than second-ranked Chicago…”
Day: February 12, 2010
State Medicaid Programs
- House may take Medicaid funds to help with budget, By Deborah Yetter, February 9, 2010, Louisville Courier-Journal: “House leaders are proposing a daring budget maneuver that would strip $227 million in General Fund money from the state’s Medicaid program for the next budget year in hopes that the federal government will approve additional stimulus funds for the program starting in 2011. The federal stimulus money, which has helped keep Kentucky’s $5.4 billion plan in the black, expires Dec. 31, the midpoint of the budget year. Advocates Tuesday were stunned to learn that the House is considering taking state money from Medicaid – with no guarantee Congress will provide extra money for the health plan, which covers the poor and disabled…”
- Medicaid fees may be trimmed to help balance Texas budget, By Robert T. Garrett, February 10, 2010, Dallas Morning News: “Doctors, dentists and hospitals would have their Medicaid fees trimmed by at least 1 percent under possible budget reductions offered today by state Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs. When treating adults, the caregivers would take a 2 percent hit, as would nursing homes, group homes for the mentally disabled and NorthSTAR, which provides mental-health services to some 400,000 low-income residents of Dallas and six nearby counties…”
- Medicaid cuts may affect care in Oklahoma, By Julie Bisbee, February 12, 2010, The Oklahoman: “Budget cuts at the agency that administers the state’s Medicaid program could make it more difficult for patients to get the medical care they need, members of the state’s medical association said Thursday.Cuts to Medicaid reimbursements approved by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority on Thursday will mean doctors get paid less for providing care to people enrolled in SoonerCare. Doctors that provide care to SoonerCare patients will see their reimbursement rates cut by 6.75 percent beginning April 1. Nearly 700,000 people are enrolled in the SoonerCare health care program each month. More than half of those enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program are children…”
- Prenatal care restored for some women in Nebraska, By Mark Andersen, February 10, 2010, Lincoln Journal Star: “Some pregnant legal residents should ignore a recent notice saying Nebraska Medicaid will not cover their prenatal care. New letters going out soon will say that, in fact, Medicaid will cover their care, state Medicaid Director Vivianne Chaumont said Wednesday. Not all pregnant women who got the first notice will get the second one restoring coverage. Notably, no second notices will be delivered to undocumented women, whose coverage of prenatal care will be ending. The issue relates to state efforts to comply with federal guidelines about when an unborn child can be counted in determining Medicaid eligibility…”
Children’s Health Insurance Coverage – Tennessee
CoverKids insurance program reopens to new enrollees, By Janell Ross, February 12, 2010, The Tennessean: “Tennessee’s uninsured children will have a chance to enroll in a government-funded health-care program beginning March 1, about four months after it was closed to new participants because of the state budget crunch. In November, cash-strapped Tennessee became the only state in the nation to close its version of the children’s health insurance program to new enrollees. State officials said at the time closing CoverKids was a tough choice but necessary because of a projected $1.5 billion state budget shortfall. Now CoverKids will draw between $1.5 million and $2 million from a state savings account for public health insurance programs, said Joe Burchfield, a spokesman for Cover Tennessee, the umbrella organization that oversees CoverKids…”