Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition Urges Congress to Extend CHIP For 5 Years

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September 2017

Asthma is the second most common chronic condition among children in the U.S, affecting approximately 7 million children under age 18.  And the disease is on the rise.  Since the 1980s the number of children with asthma has nearly doubled.[1]  Children from low income and minority families suffer the greatest burden of the disease and accompanying adverse outcomes such as hospitalizations and emergency room visits.  

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is an essential source of coverage for nearly 8.9 million children.  Working in tandem with Medicaid, it is estimated that approximately 925,000 children with asthma are covered by CHIP. CHIP funding expires on September 30, 2017.  Congress must act now to extend funding for this critically important program.

Toolkit: Asthma Awareness Month

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May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, an important opportunity for Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition member organizations and their partners to raise awareness of the important role public policy plays in helping children with asthma stay healthy.

We can help parents and policymakers around the country see that decisions in Washington and state capitals have an important impact on the health of local children. We encourage you to use this toolkit to observe Asthma Awareness Month and to customize it to fit the needs of your organization.

This toolkit offers ideas and examples you can use in your community. Feel free to use any or all of these resources:

Traditional Media

  • A sample op-ed describing the importance of Medicaid for children with asthma, with a call to action to Congress urging Members to reject Medicaid cuts, block grants, and per capita caps
  • A tipsheet on pitching newspaper opinion editors
  • A tipsheet for messaging and framing your argument

Social Media

The toolkit was developed by First Focus for Coalition members. If you have questions or need extra help, please feel free to contact the First Focus communications team. If you use the toolkit in your Asthma Awareness Month outreach efforts, please share examples of your work to make it even easier for other Coalition members to get involved.

Letter to Congress: Level-fund the CDC Asthma Program

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CALC partners signed on to a letter urging Congress to level-fund the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program at $29million.

 At present, 24 states and Puerto Rico receive critical funding from the National Asthma Control Program. Our request for level funding for the National Asthma Control Program at $29.0 million would ensure these much needed resources would continue to assist states with combatting the terrible human and economic burden caused by asthma. 

Back-to-School Toolkit

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Back-to-School Toolkit

With school back in session, there’s no better time to talk about childhood asthma. Millions of children will be heading back into the classroom and struggle with breathing, physical activity and concentration. The Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition (CALC) has created this back-to-school toolkit to help you raise awareness of childhood asthma in your community through a variety of engagement tactics. Included in this toolkit you will find:

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Pathways to Medicaid Reimbursement for Pediatric Asthma Services

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Download the Fact Sheet

Download the Fact Sheet

Treating, managing and reducing the burden of childhood asthma requires coordinated interventions that integrate community‐based approaches into patient care and take the management of asthma beyond the doctor’s office.

Evidence‐based, community‐focused interventions, which help children and their families to proactively manage their condition and mitigate asthma triggers, are fundamental to successful asthma control and show a significant return on investment.

Medicaid offers several strategies for expanding effective community‐based asthma programs for low‐income and medically‐underserved populations. The attached fact sheet describes these various strategies available to states as they seek ways of supporting community asthma management.

Free Care Rule Regulatory Change: New Opportunities for Medicaid Reimbursement in Schools

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Since 1997, the “free care” rule has stated that Medicaid will not pay for services that are offered to the general public free of charge. The rule has stood as a significant barrier for schools to receive Medicaid reimbursement for health services provided to students enrolled in Medicaid. On December 15, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a letter to State Medicaid Directors informing them of a decision to withdraw prior regulatory guidance on the free care rule. This Q&A explains how this important reversal of Medicaid policy will impact coverage of school-based interventions for low-income children with asthma.

Asthma Awareness Month 2016 Coalition Toolkit

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May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, an important opportunity for Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition member organizations and their partners to raise awareness of the important role public policy plays in helping children with asthma stay healthy.

This year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is set to release its smoke-free housing regulations, an important change in HUD policy that restricts smoking in public housing throughout the country. Smoke is one of the most common triggers of childhood asthma and children who suffer from asthma should never be around second or even third-hand smoke.

Part of this year's Asthma Awareness Month toolkit focuses on the new HUD regulations -- asking administrators and policymakers to do more to protect children from tobacco smoke, and encouraging parents and caretakers to keep their homes smoke-free for the benefit of their children.

We can help parents and policymakers around the country see that decisions in Washington and state capitals have an important impact on the health of local children. We encourage you to use this toolkit to observe Asthma Awareness Month and to customize it to fit the needs of your organization.

This toolkit offers ideas and examples you can use in your community. Feel free to use any or all of these resources:

  • Traditional Media
    • A sample op-ed that connects Medicaid’s future with the health of local children and urges congressional representatives to take a stand for children’s health
    • A tipsheet on pitching newspaper opinion editors
    • A tipsheet for messaging and framing your argument

 

The toolkit was developed by First Focus for Coalition members. If you have questions or need extra help, please feel free to contact the First Focus communications team. If you use the toolkit in your Asthma Awareness Month outreach efforts, please share examples of your work to make it even easier for other Coalition members to get involved.