NATIONAL NEWS
Senator Baucus Announces Call to Action on National Health Reform
This week, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)—Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP—released a Call to Action on Health Reform, outlining his vision for moving forward to expand health coverage to all Americans. The plan calls for bolstering employer-based coverage; expanding and strengthening public programs such as SCHIP and Medicaid; creating a national Health Insurance Exchange that individuals can use to purchase coverage; and establishing a health insurance mandate.
Senator Baucus also stressed the importance of eliminating discrimination based on preexisting conditions, lessening racial and ethnic disparities, investing in health information technology, and combating fraud, waste, and abuse in public programs.
Provisions in the Baucus proposal with important implications for children and their families include:
1. Expanding SCHIP Coverage. The Baucus plan proposes a notable expansion of SCHIP by creating a new requirement that all states cover children at least to 250 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). As of October 2008, twenty-six states have enacted eligibility levels at or above 250 percent of the FPL.
2. Expansion of Medicaid to 100 percent of the FPL. While not directly aimed at children, the Baucus plan includes a proposal to expand coverage to all people below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. If adopted, it would not only help millions of adults, but would also increase the likelihood that parents get their children enrolled in public health coverage.
3. Ensuring Medicaid’s stability during difficult economic times. The Baucus plan calls for increasing the federal Medicaid matching rates for states when an economic downturn occurs.
4. Covering Legal Immigrants. Most legal immigrant children and pregnant women must wait five years before they can qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP coverage, a policy that has contributed to racial and ethnic health disparities. The Baucus plan calls for this 5-year waiting period to be eliminated and for legal immigrants to have access to Medicaid and SCHIP immediately.
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Second Stimulus Package Could Address Medicaid Increase for States
Congress may consider a second economic stimulus package that could include temporary, additional federal money for state-run Medicaid programs. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides health insurance to several vulnerable, low-income populations, including children in foster care. In tight economic times when individuals lose jobs and employer-sponsored health insurance, Medicaid enrollment tends to increase. While Medicaid spending is increasing, states must also balance their budgets and may be forced to cut vital health care services.
Many members of Congress and advocates, including PFC, have been seeking a temporary influx to states' Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). At the end of September, the House passed a $60.8 billion economic stimulus package (H.R. 7110) and the Senate tried to consider a $56.2 billion economic package (S. 3064).
Several Congressional hearings, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and President-elect Barack Obama have highlighted the need for a second economic stimulus package, with significant support for including an FMAP increase.
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Pre-K Now Reports Middle-Class Families can’t Afford Pre-K
Though research shows that children from all economic brackets benefit from quality early childhood education programs, a report released last week by Pre-K Now finds that middle-class families are struggling to afford high-quality pre-k and are often ineligible for state pre-k programs based on income eligibility.
“The Pre-K Pinch: Early Education and the Middle Class” finds there are 700,000 3 and 4-yr-olds nationwide living in middle-income families that are caught between eligibility for state pre-k and being able to afford high-quality programs on their own. Unlike K-12, state pre-k programs primarily target low-income children. Of the 38 states that fund pre-k, 20 use family income as an important criterion for eligibility and in most of these states, families earning more than 200 percent of the federal poverty ($42,400 for a family of four) are not eligible.
Meanwhile, the cost of early education programs has risen faster than inflation for more than a decade: Between 1996 and 2006, while overall prices rose by about 30 percent, the cost of early education and care increased 60 percent.
The report also includes recommendations to policymakers and the incoming Obama administration to address this “Pre-K Pinch”:
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Lawmakers should phase-in a gradual expansion of pre-k, beginning with the most vulnerable children and moving to include those in the middle class.
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Programs should consider eligibility factors outside of income to include more children, such as those from single-parent homes and military-connected families.
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Full-day programs, rather than half-day programs, would better meet the needs of working families.
Read the full report online.
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MISSOURI NEWS
MO House & Senate Elect Leadership Positions
Just days after the November 4th election, newly elected state legislators met in Jefferson City to decide party leadership positions in the House and the Senate for the 2009 legislative term. Child advocates, and especially constituents, should reach out to leaders in the House and Senate and ask them to make Missouri’s children and families a priority in the upcoming session.
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Governor-Elect Nixon Builds Transition Team and New Administration
Since Jay Nixon’s victory on November 4th, the Governor-elect has been busy building his transition team and appointing key members of his new administration. So far, the following positions have been announced:
Chief of Staff: John Watson. Watson served as Nixon’s chief of staff at the Attorney General’s office since 1997 where he oversaw all legislative and budgetary matters, as well as public policy issues involving public safety, consumer protection, education, health care and government efficiency.
Director of Administration: Kelvin Simmons. Simmons is a veteran of Missouri government, serving as the former director of the state’s economic development office and former chairman of the Public Service Commission. Simmons is the first appointment to the Governor’s Cabinet. The office coordinates numerous functions of state government, including budget and planning, design, construction and management of state facilities, and information technology services.
Transition Team Director: Charles Burson. Burson is the former Attorney General of Tennessee and later became Chief of Staff to Vice President Al Gore. The transition team will help identify directors for the state’s 10 executive departments, including the Department of Social Services.
Transition Team Co-Chairs: Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge Ronnie White of St. Louis, former State Senator Phil Snowden of Kansas City, and Nadia T. Cavner, a financial consultant from Springfield.
Deputy Transition Director for Budget Review: Wayne Goode. Goode is a Democrat from Normandy who served in the MO State Legislature for 42 years and formerly chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee. Goode's main duties on the transition team will be to analyze the state's current budget situation, offer advice on fiscal matters, and help craft the administration's first budget.
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Coordinating Board for Early Childhood Reviews Pre-K Recommendations
The Missouri Coordinating Board for Early Childhood met on Tuesday, Nov. 18th to review the final report and recommendations from the “MO Panel on School Readiness: Focus on Pre-Kindergarten Education.” The 33-member committee met four times between May and October 2008 to discuss the necessary components of a strong pre-k system in Missouri that ensures Missouri’s children have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten learning experiences that prepare them to succeed in school and life.
The panel submitted 9 final recommendations which the Coordinating Board will now discuss and possibly modify before determining next steps for advancing pre-k in Missouri.
Recommendations for publicly funded pre-k include:
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Establishing statutory authority for publicly funded pre-k by 2011;
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Allowing participation by any center- or family-based program that meets certain standards;
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3 and 4-yr old children should be eligible and participation should be voluntary for Missouri families;
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All programs should meet research-based standards to be established by the state;
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All programs should use a standardized child assessment process for tracking children’s progress;
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The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) should expand its MOSIS achievement data tracking system to measure outcomes for children participating in state pre-k programs;
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A state system of oversight should be established and local entities should be identified to oversee implementation of a mixed delivery pre-k system that is responsive to the needs of individual communities.
You can view the full report online, which includes rationale for the recommendations as well as a list of the pre-k panel members. Public comment is still being accepted and considered by the Coordinating Board at this time. Missourians can send comments on the Pre-K Panel’s recommendations to Patty Nolte at Patricia.A.Nolte@dss.mo.gov.
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State of the State Regional Budget Summits
With a greatly weakened national financial system, and states throughout the country reporting serious budget shortfalls, how is Missouri positioned to weather the current economic storm? Is our state’s budget and tax system built on a solid foundation or on sinking sand? What can our state’s leaders do in 2009 to ensure that Missouri is on the path to long-term prosperity?
Please join the St. Louis Business Journal, the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Budget Project, the Missouri Municipal League, AARP and other cosponsors for one of three Budget Summits focusing on Missouri's budget in these troubling economic times.
Kansas City Regional Budget Summit
December 4, 2008 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
MCC-Penn Valley Community College, Education Center Building, Room 019
The focus of the Summits: The state's budget outlook, and how all interests - from transportation and health care to education and small businesses - can work together to ensure a healthy state economy. This is a premier opportunity for lawmakers to engage with Missouri’s civic and business leaders in a conversation on long-term solutions for Missouri’s fiscal health that will guarantee investment in services and infrastructure over time.
The Summits are free and open to the public. Reservations are required.
Please RSVP at www.mobudget.org
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Save the Date: January 27th Child Advocacy Day
Join hundreds of child advocates in Jefferson City on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 for the 27th annual Child Advocacy Day! Come show your support for better public policies to support children, youth, and families. Participate in advocacy workshops, visit exhibit booths to learn about new services and programs, discuss critical issues affecting children with legislators, and network with other advocates.
For more information, visit the Child Advocacy Day website, or for bus transportation from Kansas City, check out the Kansas City Local Investment Commission.
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