TOP 5 » FEDERAL AFFAIRS
States Take an Active Role in Federal Policy
by Jeff Stockdale & Leslie Haymon The states, Congress, and the new administration have continued their renewed interest in the state-federal relationship, especially looking for pioneering ways to encourage policy innovation within and among the states. This renewed interest has taken shape in Congress in the form a task force dedicated to improving intergovernmental affairs and a new subcommittee within the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The need for cooperation between federal agencies implementing legislation and the states who execute those programs
JAN/FEB 2018 | CAPITOL IDEAS
Health Care Reform
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The futures of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid funding, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are all uncertain. Despite dogged efforts, House and Senate Republicans have not yet found their preferred replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Many of the state individual markets are actuarially unsound and with rising premiums and fewer insurers participating. Some states have looked to a reinsurance model to offset the cost of those individuals who are sicker and therefore more expensive. Layered within this complex landscape are concerns about the Children’s Health Insurance Program. This program covers nearly 9 million children nationwide and without federal funding many states will be forced to disenroll beneficiaries or find funding elsewhere in their already tight budgets.