Publications: 2011

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2012 | 2011 | 2010 l 2009 l 2008 l 2007 l 2006 l 2005 l 2004 l 2003 l 2002 l 2001 l 2000 l Before 2000

Publications are free unless otherwise noted.

Talking Points: The Republican Presidential Candidates Call for Medicaid Cuts lays out reasons why Congress shouldn't trade defense spending cuts for cuts to the Medicaid program. These defense cuts are part of the automatic spending cuts that will take effect January 2013 as part of the deficit reduction deal. 4 pp. (December 2011)

Talking Turkey is a short piece that is designed to help people talk about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act in an informal way, even at the Thanksgiving table. 2 pp. (November 2011)

The Bottom Line: How the Affordable Care Act Helps America's Families shows the net financial effects of the Affordable Care Act on family budgets. We found that lower- and middle-income families, both uninsured and insured, will be financial winners. | State Reports 18 pp. (October 2011)

Simplifying Enrollment and Eligibility with Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) explains the benefits of aligning income calculation rules in Medicaid, CHIP, premium tax credits, and Basic Health programs (where applicable) through MAGI. 6 pp. (October 2011)

Medicaid: A Lifeline for Blacks and Latinos with Serious Health Care Needs examines how essential Medicaid is for blacks and Latinos with cancer, diabetes, chronic lung disease, or heart disease or stroke. Cutting Medicaid would put them at risk. The Affordable Care Act will greatly help blacks and Latinos afford coverage. Released in partnership with seven other groups. 26 pp. (October 2011)

States Making Progress on Rate Review highlights state efforts to protect consumers from unreasonable increases in insurance premiums. It also explains provisions of the Affordable Care Act that encourage improvements to states' rate review processes. 24 pp. (October 2011)

Presumptive Eligibility: A Step toward Streamlined Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP explores how the Affordable Care Act expands presumptive eligibility to help states streamline enrollment and discusses the important role that presumptive eligibility can play in helping low-income people get access to care during and after the implementation of the new law. 12 pp. (September 2011)

To Build a Strong Affordable Care Act, Protect Medicaid explains that Medicaid is the foundation for health reform and briefly discusses the proposals that could damage Medicaid. Those working to implement health reform need to understand how threats to Medicaid could undermine their work. 7 pp. (September 2011)

Helping People with Medicare discusses how health reform will help make Medicare more affordable for seniors and people with disabilities, improve health care quality for enrollees, and make the program more financially secure. 5 pp. (Updated September 2011)

Medicaid's Impact in the States: Helping People with Serious Health Care Needs examines how vital Medicaid is for residents with cancer, diabetes, chronic lung disease, or heart disease or stroke. For these people, Medicaid can be the difference between life and death, and program cuts would put them at risk. Released in partnership with three other groups. 14 pp. (September 2011) 

A Message to Congress and the Super Committee: "Don't Just Cut Programs-Raise Revenues" explains that increasing revenue needs to be a substantial part of the deficit reduction equation because spending cuts alone would hurt the economy and low- and middle-income Americans. 6 pp. (September 2011)

Sharing across the States: Strategies for Story Banking gives best practices advice from state advocates across the country on how to build a story banking infrastructure in their organization, find consumers to share their stories, organize and publicize stories, and more. 20 pp. (September 2011)

The Super Committee: Where They Stand on Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act provides a profile of each member's position on these key issues. It also includes each member’s stance on increasing revenues as an option for reducing the deficit. 10 pp. (August 2011)

Medicaid, Deficit Reduction, and the “Super Committee” offers talking points on the importance of Medicaid and the costs that would result from cuts to the program. 3 pp. (August 2011)

Medicaid, the Budget, and Deficit Reduction: The Threat Continues explains the threat to Medicaid posed by the debt ceiling compromise and urges advocates to speak up about the importance of Medicaid and the dangers of cutting the program. 7 pp. (August 2011)

The Perils of Health Insurance Sold Across State Lines explains the hidden dangers in legislation—being pushed at the state and the federal level—that lets out-of-state insurers evade state regulation. 11 pp. (July 2011)

The Basic Health Option: Will It Work for Low-Income Consumers? provides a framework for advocates to think about whether this option, created by the health care law, will work for their state. It covers program basics, discusses the problems it might address, and raises key issues that can affect the direction such a program might take. 12 pp. (July 2011)

Medicaid Really Does Matter—And Here's a Study Proving It presents talking points on a new study that unequivocally shows the positive value of Medicaid. 2 pp. (July 2011)

Medicaid, the Budget, and Deficit Reduction: Keeping Score of the Threats discusses how advocates can fight proposals that would dismantle Medicaid, some of which could result from behind-closed-door budget talks. 7 pp. (Updated July 2011)

Sharing across the States: Strategies for Engaging Young Adults is designed to help state advocates tackle this demographic and reflects the best thinking of the experienced organizers we interviewed. It discusses how to frame your issue, organizing on and off campus, and using traditional and social media. 16 pp. (July 2011)

Jobs at Risk: Federal Medicaid Cuts Would Harm State Economies provides state-level data that show the devastating impact the House Republican budget proposal would have. The proposal's substantial Medicaid cuts would harm program enrollees and their families and lead to a loss of business activity and jobs in all states. 17 pp. | Calculator (June 2011)

Why We Need a Health Insurance Exchange is a one-page handout that cites several reasons why consumers will benefit from the new exchanges, including competition, affordability, and quality. 1 p. (June 2011)

Health Hazard: How the House Republican Budget Resolution Would Dramatically Change Medicare looks at the impact of the proposal, which would turn Medicare into a voucher program, re-open the "doughnut hole," and raise the eligibility age for Medicare. 10 pp. (May 2011)

Obtaining Exchange Funding and Achieving Consumer-Friendly Outcomes: A State "To Do" List outlines tasks states need to complete to obtain federal exchange grants and move ahead with implementation of an exchange. 19 pp. (May 2011)

Cutting Medicaid: Harming Seniors and People with Disabilities Who Need Long-Term Care assesses the human impact of proposed Medicaid cuts on those who need long-term care, as well as their families. It provides state-specific numbers on how many people would be affected by cuts, as well as on how the cuts would hurt families and state workers. 17 pp. | State Reports 4 pp. (May 2011)

The Affordable Care Act: Patients' Bill of Rights and Other Protections is a compilation of all of our fact sheets to date on consumer rights and protections. 31 pp. (April 2011)

A Guide for State Advocates: State Demonstrations to Integrate Medicare and Medicaid explains the requirements for demonstrations, discusses possible models of integration, and provides guidance to advocates on how to get involved in the planning process. 10 pp. (April 2011)

House Republicans Propose to Slash Funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and Other Health Coverage Programs takes a closer look at how the recent budget proposal would harm seniors, children, and state economies, including state-specific numbers. 19 pp. (April 2011)

Implementing Health Insurance Exchanges: Options for Governance and Oversight highlights key issues to consider in the creation of a successful, consumer-friendly governance structure, including where the exchange should be housed, issues for good governance, and duties of a board. 23 pp. (April 2011)

What the House Budget Resolution Means for America's Seniors and People with Disabilities is A Q & A on the possible consequences of the House budget resolution for two groups that would be disproportionately affected by Medicare and Medicaid cuts. 4 pp. (April 2011)

The Health Care Law: Good News for Caregivers discusses how the health care law will help build the long-term care workforce, encourage states to expand home- and community-based services in Medicaid, improve resources for caregivers, and expand protections for people in long-term care facilities. 7 pp. | The Affordable Care Act: Provisions that Will Help Caregivers 6 pp. (March 2011)

Navigators Need Not Be Licensed as Insurance Brokers or Agents explains the Affordable Care Act's requirement that state exchanges establish "navigator" programs to help consumers make informed choices, explores the different roles navigators will need to play, and looks at the appropriate roles for insurance brokers and agents. The brief, which advocates may use freely and brand as their own, was produced with input from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Health Care for America Now, and the Center for Public Policy Priorities. (March 2011)

Worry Less Spend Less: Out-of-Pocket Spending Caps Protect America's Families examines how the Affordable Care Act will protect insured people from high medical costs through new caps on out-of-pocket spending. It provides estimates of how many Americans will have spending that exceeds these caps and by how much, and it looks at how many of those people work for small businesses. 17 pp. | State Reports (March 2011)

States Are Benefitting from Provisions of the Affordable Care Act lists the number of people in each state who are already benefiting from each of five provisions. The provisions include measures that are helping small businesses provide coverage to their workers, helping seniors get free preventive care, and protecting children with pre-existing conditions. 3 pp. | Table (March 2011)

Applying for Health Coverage Online: The Affordable Care Act Helps Americans Enroll discusses provisions in the Affordable Care Act that call for states to have one streamlined online application that allows consumers to apply for Medicaid, CHIP, and premiums credits available to purchase health coverage in state exchanges. The brief also examines where states are now in the implementation of an online application process. 20 pp. (March 2011)

"Defunding" the Affordable Care Act: Guilty of a Double Standard discusses the important new rights and benefits that many in the House of Representatives are planning to take away from millions of Americans but intend to keep for themselves (at taxpayer expense) when they vote to defund or repeal the Affordable Care Act. The piece lists 14 rights and benefits. 8 pp. (February 2011)

Protecting Seniors and People with Disabilities: Why It Is Important to Preserve the Maintenance of Effort Requirement in the Affordable Care Act discusses how stripping the maintenance of effort requirement from the ACA will have negative consequences for the many people who depend on Medicaid by allowing states to change eligibility requirements. 4 pp. (February 2011) | State Reports

Selecting Plans to Participate in an Exchange: A State Guide is designed to help stakeholders understand what's involved and how the process can be structured in the best interest of state residents. It reviews the federal minimum standards, discusses additional elements to consider, and offers specific state examples. 15 pp. (February 2011)

Express Lane Eligibility: Early State Experiences and Lessons for Health Reform reviews the early experiences of four states under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) and how those experiences can be instructive as states move to implement health reform. The states are Alabama, Iowa, Louisiana, and New Jersey. 19 pp. (January 2011)

Preventing Unwarranted Exceptions to the Affordable Care Act's Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) Requirements explains the opportunities for advocacy if state insurance regulators file for adjustments to the MLR requirements. It also provides a list of questions to ask regulators if your state seeks an adjustment; these questions can be adapted for your state. 5 pp. (January 2011)