Keeping Children’s Coverage Strong in the Context of the Affordable Care Act: Perspectives from State Children’s Health Insurance Leaders
With passage of the Affordable Care Act, the stakes for children’s coverage perhaps have never been higher. Children potentially have much to gain in coverage for themselves and for their parents. However, they also have much to lose in shifting attention, and in unintended consequences of reforms focused on adults. To examine the options for keeping children’s coverage strong in future, NASHP initiated discussions with CHIP program directors. This brief highlights themes from those discussions, focusing on key considerations for children’s coverage that NASHP and most CHIP directors believe policymakers should take into account in making decisions that may affect children’s coverage.
| keeping.children’s.coverage.strong.pdf | 157.8 KB |
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
