Based upon solid research and practical field-testing, TCP develops policy proposals and advocates for them to become law.
Modernizing How Enrollment in Health Insurance Works for Kids
Through an initiative called Express Lane Eligibility, TCP developed and piloted a reform to make it easier, faster, and less costly to enroll uninsured children in health coverage programs. Through Express Lane, uninsured children enrolled in other public programs, like Food Stamps and School Lunch, can be identified; then they can use their application for any of those programs to start an application for health insurance. TCP led an effort to get Express Lane enacted into state and federal policy, with the result that any state can now use this reform, and five million uninsured children who are eligible for public coverage programs can now be helped to gain health insurance.
Extending Health Care to Children in Medically Underserved Communities
TCP helped enact policies that, over time, will help as many as 2.2 million California children who live in health professional shortage areas gain access to needed health and dental care through the use of telehealth. We successfully advocated for a new state Medi-Cal policy that enables remote health care sites to be reimbursed a “facility fee” and a transmission fee through Medi-Cal to help pay for the costs health care providers incur when providing care via telehealth. The Children's Partnership is also working with the California State Rural Health Association, the Center for Connected Health Policy, and others to pursue policies that would ensure wider deployment of telehealth to meet the health and dental care needs of children who would otherwise go without such care.
Streamlining Enrollment Through Health Information Technology.
Staff from TCP have applied their expertise to influence how enrollment in health and human service programs should work under the new national Affordable Care Act. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build these new systems so that they are efficient and easy for families to use. Through our participation on the federal HIT Policy & Standards Committee Enrollment Workgroup (§1561 Workgroup), we have been able to influence the development of federal standards and protocols to streamline enrollment.
Protecting Health Insurance for Children in California
4.5 million children in California have been able to stay insured in spite of California’s budget straitjacket, which has placed severe pressure on lawmakers to cut human service programs. TCP has been in the lead, keeping children insured—while working to improve access to services—so that children can get medical and dental care when they need it.
Shaping the Way Health Reform Is Implemented in California:
TCP staff participated in two separate workgroups that were established to address implementation issues specific to both the individual and the small employer markets of the California Health Benefits Exchange. Through these workgroups, TCP has been able to help ensure that the system will work effectively for all of California’s children and families.
Building a Strong Constituency for Improve Dental Care for Children in California
The Children's Partnership brought new voices to improving children's oral health through workforce solutions. Through our partnerships, members of the business, education, Head Start, pediatric, and other communities are championing dental access policies that will ultimately lead to a system of care for California’s children that fosters prevention and promotes high-quality and safe dental care in a cost-effective way.
