Coverage

Helping People with Medicare

The Affordable Care Act will make health care more affordable for seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare. The law will also change how Medicare pays for health care, making the prog...

Helping People with Medicare

Medicaid Must Play a Central Role in Combating Substance Use Disorder

As the largest single source of health insurance and coverage for behavioral health services in the country, Medicaid plays a pivotal role in addressing substance use disorder (SUD). Medicaid covers n...

Medicaid Waivers: Strategies to Address Barriers to Medicaid

On June 12, Families USA held a webinar that highlighted successful tactics and strategies that could be used in states seeking work requirements. Advocates in Colorado and Minnesota discuss how they...

Strategies for Story Banking and Engaging Young Adults

State advocates face the challenge of educating the public about the Affordable Care Act and rallying support for it. Collecting and publicizing consumer stories (known as “story banking”) and eng...

Medicaid Work Requirements: Lessons from the 2018 State Legislative Sessions

When the Trump administration gave the green light to Medicaid work requirements, conservative lawmakers in state legislatures across the country grasped the chance to impose punitive restrictions on...

Presumptive Eligibility: A Step toward Streamlined Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP

The Affordable Care Act expands states’ ability to use presumptive eligibility to streamline enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program). Presumptive eligibility give...

Perils of Health Insurance Sold across State Lines

Some policy makers have proposed allowing health insurance companies to sell plans in states where they are not licensed. This would be problematic for consumers because insurance companies would be a...

Why We Need a Health Insurance Exchange

The Affordable Care Act calls for the creation of a competitive health insurance marketplace, called an "exchange," in every state by 2014. Consumers will greatly benefit from these exchanges. This fa...

The Basic Health Option: Will It Work for Low-Income Consumers?

The Affordable Care Act requires Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the exchanges to operate as seamlessly as possible for enrollees with incomes around 133 percent of pover...