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Access to Healthcare and the Uninsured
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For updates on:
Federal Health Reform click here.
Medicaid FMAP Extension click here.
Actions & Proposals to Balance the FY 2010 Budget: Health Care click here.
Federal Economic Stimulus Package, including increases in Medicaid FMAP click here.
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The number of people without health insurance has increased steadily since the beginning of the century, now totaling about 47 million Americans. Most Americans obtain health insurance coverage through their employers. With the cost of health insurance outpacing inflation and wage increases, more employers are opting out of the market. Family incomes have not kept pace with health care inflation making non-group coverage unaffordable for most low-income families. Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program help to fill in the coverage gap for millions, especially children.
This public policy issue is getting the attention of legislatures across the country. Medicaid and sky rocketing uncompensated care costs are straining state and federal budgets. State policymakers are asking important questions: where does the burden of coverage lie? Is health insurance a personal responsibility? Should employers be the main source of America's coverage? Or is access to health care a right of citizenship and the government's responsibility? Can the health care safety net withstand the strain of the growing number of uninsured? Policymakers are responding to these questions with varying kinds of legislation.
State policymakers are also keeping a close eye on federal health reform. On March 21, 2010, the House approved the Senate language in H.R. 3590, the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" and approved H.R. 4872, the "Reconciliation Act of 2010" to address national health care reform. Included in the many provisions of this legislation is an eligibility expansion of Medicaid which would go into effect in 2014. President Obama signed H.R. 3590 on Tuesday, March 23. His signature allowed the Senate to begin consideration of the reconciliation language. On Thursday, March 25, the Senate passed the reconciliation bill and sent it back to the House. For more information on federal health reform, click here.
NCSL offers legislators information on the following Access to Health Care and the Uninsured topic areas:
Increasing Access
Community Health Centers
Health Reform
Medicaid
Insuring Children and Young Adults
Health Disparities
Increasing Employer-Sponsored Insurance
Other Resources
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Issues & Resources
Find the NCSLstaff member who handles the issue in which you are interested.
NCSLprovides access to current state and federal legislation and a comprehensive list of state documents, including state statutes, constitutions, legislative audits and research reports.
Members
As legislators and legislative staff, you are part of the nation's largest, most influential and only bipartisan organization of state legislators and staff.Learn about the resources NCSL has for you.
NCSL offers an array of services for legislative staff. Find out what's available.
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| ©2012 National Conference of State Legislatures. All Rights Reserved. |
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