Statement of ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray on the Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act of 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 26, 2019   
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515

STATEMENT OF ACAP CEO MARGARET A. MURRAY ON THE
STABILIZE MEDICAID AND CHIP COVERAGE ACT OF 2019

WASHINGTON—Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), issued the following statement on S. 873, The Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act of 2019, introduced today in the United States Senate by Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and original co-sponsors Senator Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.):

“We applaud the leadership of Senator Brown and Senators Baldwin, Warren and Whitehouse in introducing this bill today. This legislation will go a long way toward simplifying burdensome bureaucratic hurdles to Medicaid and CHIP enrollees and help Safety Net Health Plans and providers do what they do best – focus on providing and coordinating care and services that help enrollees maintain and improve their health.”

“In many states, enrollment in Medicaid can involve a Byzantine maze of paperwork. And eligibility thresholds can serve as a perverse disincentive for some people to seek more work, or better work; short-term changes in income can lead people to lose their health coverage.

“The Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act would enact twelve-month continuous eligibility in Medicaid and CHIP. This would go a long way toward helping people with low incomes make more rational decisions, align Medicaid with eligibility for Medicare, Marketplace and commercial insurance, and cut through red tape in a wholesale way.

“ACAP and its member Safety Net Health Plans are grateful for the leadership of Senator Brown, who has supported the idea of 12-month eligibility for several years, as well as his original cosponsors. We urge their colleagues in the Senate to join them in cosponsoring S. 873.”

Organizations supporting the Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act include America’s Essential Hospitals, American Academy of Pediatrics, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, Association for Community Affiliated Plans, Children’s Hospital Association, Families USA, National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

About ACAP

ACAP represents 64 health plans in 29 states, which collectively serve more than twenty million people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplaces, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.

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