February 28, 2023
Access & Coverage | Tea Leaves
  • Almost 7 million children and teens are at risk of losing their health coverage when the public health emergency ends, new estimates from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute show. In April, states will begin redetermining Medicaid eligibility as pandemic-inspired coverage requirements lapse and enhanced federal matching funds dry up. The Georgetown study predicts that kids will fall off program rolls even though upward of 70 percent will remain technically eligible, per federal estimates. This potential trend could be influenced by confusing messaging and a lack of sufficient staffing at state agencies. (Article here)
  • A federal judge in Texas is set to rule on a lawsuit that seeks to restrict access to one of the two drugs typically used to induce a medicated abortion. The decision could impact 40 million women nationwide, making it the most consequential legal ruling since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The judge who will make the ruling has been described by his friends and family as a devoted anti-abortion activist inspired by his sister’s decision to give birth at a maternity home at age 17. (Articles here and here)