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	Testimony on August 17 Directive
	2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines
	Out of Touch: A Status Report on CMS's August 17th Directive

Federal Issues

AARP Issues Information on Stimulus Funding

In March, more than 130 million American households will begin receiving IRS letters giving them general information about the Economic Stimulus Payments and advising them that to receive a 2008 stimulus payment, all they have to do is file a 2007 tax return.

As a result of this recently enacted economic stimulus package, the government will be sending out checks to individuals to help revive the economy. Where there is money, there are scam artists trying to get a piece of it, or potentially worse yet, use the opportunity to steal your identity. To help you steer clear of the con artists and get the money you are eligible for, the AARP has issued information about the facts on stimulus funding, including information for those who do NOT have to file a 2007 federal income tax return.

Youth PROMISE Act

We invite your agency to support of the Youth PROMISE Act letter that will authorize $2.9 billion per year for evidenced based prevention and intervention practices.

The Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act (Youth PROMISE Act) implements the advice we heard over the last year from over 50 crime policy makers, researchers, practitioners analysts, and law enforcement officials across the political spectrum concerning evidence- and research-based strategies to reduce gang violence and crime. Under the Youth PROMISE Act, communities facing the greatest youth gang and crime challenges will form a local council. This council will include representatives from law enforcement, court services, schools, social service, health and mental health providers, and community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations.

For your consideration, view a one-pager of HR 3846 along with the sign-on letter specifically addressing the Ohio delegation. Your support of this important legislation will address the root causes of youth violence and participation in gang activity by providing alternatives to delinquent activity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Yvonne Hunnicutt.

SCHIP Funding in the Year Ahead: Implications of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act

It appears that many states across the country have substantial federal SCHIP funding available to them for pursuing plans to enroll more already eligible children and expanding eligibility to more uninsured children. States still will need to determine whether they have the state resources with which to cover more children, as well as to navigate the August 17th CMS directive that makes it more difficult to cover uninsured children in moderate-income families. However, in all but a handful of cases, states have significant federal resources to cover more uninsured children in the short-term. In the long-term, the history of SCHIP indicates that the federal government will continue to support the SCHIP program and provide states with the federal funding needed to allow it to continue.

The Center for Children and Families released, "SCHIP Funding in the Year Ahead: Implications of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act". This 8 page report analyzes the SCHIP financing provisions in the Extension Act, provides the SCHIP funding levels available for each state, and explores the implications for ongoing and future state efforts to cover children.

SCHIP National Enrollment Data

Based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), more than 7.7 million people received coverage from the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in FY2007. Approximately 7.1 million of these were children (under age 19), an
increase of roughly 393,000 (6%), compared to FY2006. Adult SCHIP enrollees in FY2007 numbered approximately 587,000, a decrease of nearly 114,000 (16%), compared to FY2006. The CMS data permit state-level analyses of enrollees by income-eligibility level. The SCHIP statute defines a “low-income child” as those at or below 200% of poverty, but states can also cover children at higher income levels. This memorandum provides FY2007 state level estimates of child enrollees in SCHIP with family income up to 200% of poverty, those who are above 200% of poverty, and the number of adult SCHIP enrollees.

CMS Sign-on Letter

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has helped uninsured children in Ohio and across the nation to obtain health care coverage for over a decade. The uninsured rate for Ohio children declined from 9.8% in 1998 to 5.4% in 2004, due in large part to Ohio’s successful Medicaid/SCHIP program

Last summer Ohio’s bipartisan leaders passed a bill to expand coverage to thousands more of Ohio’s uninsured children. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has denied Ohio’s request to expand coverage to more children; Ohio is in the process of seeking a revised expansion through a State Plan Amendment (SPA). Despite strong leadership in Columbus, federal regulations are blocking Ohio’s progress toward covering more kids.

Ohio advocates joined together to send a letter to communicate the damaging effects this bureaucratic red tape imposed by CMS will have on Ohio’s children. The CMS Sign on Letter was sent in March of 2008 to the entire Ohio Congressional Delegation.

If you would like us to keep you informed about CMS regulations on Medicaid/SCHIP, please send your contact information to: info@vfc-oh.org.

Together, we can raise our Voices with Ohio’s congressional leaders to eliminate these damaging regulations.

View more information about the CMS Directive.