Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Health

Johanns Amendment Would Raise Health Insurance Premiums, Increase Ranks of Uninsured, and Eliminate Preventive Health Funding

"An amendment from Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) to small business legislation, on which the Senate will vote on September 14 — its first day back from its summer recess — would repeal a provision of the health reform law designed to raise revenue by reducing noncompliance with the nation’s tax laws.

"While critics have raised legitimate concerns about some of the paperwork requirements related to that provision, policymakers can address those concerns by modifying the provision, rather than by repealing it outright...

"Moreover, the Johanns amendment would offset the large revenue loss from repealing the tax compliance provision by eliminating critical funding for health prevention and by seriously weakening a key element of health reform, the requirement that individuals obtain health insurance or pay a penalty." Read more

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Topics

Basics

Medicaid is a federal-state public insurance program that provides health coverage to more than 60 million low-income Americans, including children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) gives states matching federal funds to provide health coverage to roughly 4 million children in families whose income is modestly above Medicaid limits, typically up to 200 percent of the poverty line, about $42,000 for a family of four. Medicare is a federal program that provides health coverage to more than 40 million Americans, primarily individuals age 65 and older but also including several million younger adults with permanent disabilities.

Policy Basics:
- Introduction to Medicaid

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The Center works to ensure that federal and state health insurance programs provide coverage that meets the health care needs of low-income children and families, as well as seniors and people with disabilities. The Center also works to remove barriers preventing eligible families from gaining access to health coverage.