According to HHS, nine states are responsible for 60 percent of children’s coverage losses between March and September.

According to HHS, nine states are responsible for 60 percent of children’s coverage losses between March and September.

HHS wants states with the highest rates of children dropped from Medicaid to use certain federal rules that make it easier to get families back on coverage.

In letters sent Monday to the governors of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urged the states to take up more of options CMS has offered to ensure coverage. The options include allowing states to use enrollee information they have to auto-renew coverage.

HHS also issued new guidance for states Monday, including an option to give kids an additional 12 months to get on the rolls. That option is available through 2024, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure told reporters.

Becerra also asked the states to remove barriers to Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment for children no longer eligible for Medicaid, reduce call center times for families and expand their Medicaid programs if they haven’t already.

  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
    616·
    11 months ago

    His hands aren’t tied, he just refuses to use any of the tools available to him.

    For example, he could withhold federal funding from states that refuse to comply.

    • snooggums@kbin.social
      61·
      11 months ago

      Based on historical events, that will just allow them to make further cuts to programs that support the poor and minorities because “we can’t afford these programs”. Cutting funding as a threat to conservatives who don’t want to spend government money on the less fortunate is counterproductive.

      • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
        3·
        11 months ago

        Conservatives are re-directing and outright pocketing federal funds wherever possible. They employ privately held interests and invent money-hiding bureaucratic schemes to provide substandard and ineffective services.

        I live in Texas where this has been the case for decades. State services here are effectively non-existent because of it, yet we receive quite a bit of federal funds. Where does it all go? Into our governor’s friends’ pockets (and thus to him as well).

        If the feds want services to actually reach red state residents, they will need to exclude the state entirely from the process. Period.

        A conservative politician is simply not capable of making a choice that benefits others. Conservatives will never permit their state social support systems to function effectively, as long as they have any say in it.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
        311·
        11 months ago

        They could make further cuts right now, no need to wait for Biden to give them justification. Why do you think they don’t

        • snooggums@kbin.social
          3·
          11 months ago

          They do make cuts already, it just gives them even more of an excuse. That is why it is counterproductive, more fuel for the dumpster fire with zero possible upside.

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
                112·
                11 months ago

                That’s literally what this thread is about lol

                My point is that Biden could put legitimate pressure on them by threatening to cut off federal funding - not just to Medicaid, but to shit like highway funding. The response I’m getting is “if Biden does that then they’ll just cut more” which doesn’t make sense because they could already cut more. They don’t need an excuse, as evidenced by this fucking thread and your own fucking link.

                Why haven’t they already cut everything? Can you answer that?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  11 months ago

                  Why haven’t they already cut everything?

                  They want to get re-elected. If they don’t have an excuse but to cut everything, they can do it but still get re-elected. So your solution is to give them what they want and get them re-elected.