Summary: $3.9 billion in federal and local funds. 3% increase from FY 2018 after adjusting for inflation. Major investments in children’s health, behavioral health, program eligibility systems and a new hospital. Key reforms to the DC Healthcare Alliance program...
Jodi Kwarciany
Recent posts by Jodi Kwarciany
DC Created a Local Solution to Preserve Health Coverage Gains. Congress Should Not Interfere.
Congressional efforts to undermine DC’s local insurance requirement could create a destabilizing effect: increasing health insurance premiums, reducing affordable health coverage options, and leaving more District residents uninsured. Congress should not intervene in...
DC Will Become Third in the Nation to Adopt a Health Insurance Requirement for 2019
On Tuesday, the DC Council voted in the Budget Support Act for fiscal year (FY) 2019 to add the District to the list of jurisdictions, like Massachusetts and New Jersey, that are implementing a local health insurance requirement for 2019.[1] This local “individual...
What DC Can Do to Improve Access to Health Care for Thousands of Immigrant Residents
In a time of great turmoil for immigrant families across the country, it is more important than ever that DC be a welcoming and inclusive community. Yet DC’s health care program for immigrants, the DC Healthcare Alliance, is currently shutting out thousands of...
Testimony of Jodi Kwarciany At the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Health Benefit Exchange Authority
Chairperson Gray and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jodi Kwarciany and I am the Health Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI promotes opportunity and widespread prosperity for all residents of the...
Testimony of Jodi Kwarciany At the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Department of Health Care Finance
Chairperson Gray and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jodi Kwarciany and I am the Health Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI promotes opportunity and widespread prosperity for all residents of the...
Testimony of Jodi Kwarciany At the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Chairperson Evans and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Jodi Kwarciany and I am the Health Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI promotes opportunity and widespread prosperity for all residents of the...
Testimony of Jodi Kwarciany At the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Department of Health
Chairman Gray and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jodi Kwarciany and I am the Health Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI is a non-profit organization that promotes opportunity and widespread...
What’s In the Proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Budget for Health Care?
Summary $3.8 billion in federal and local funds. 1% increase from FY 2018 after adjusting for inflation. Fails to fund reforms to DC Healthcare Alliance Program. $4.4 million for new components of the School Health Services Program. $7 million increase for behavioral...
DC Should Adopt a Local Health Insurance Mandate to Prevent Market Instability
December’s federal tax bill repealed the Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate,” which required most people to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a penalty. This move could create massive problems in individual insurance markets, causing premiums to rise and...
Testimony of Jodi Kwarciany At the Performance Oversight Hearing for the Department of Health Care Finance and Health Benefit Exchange Authority
Chairperson Gray and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Jodi Kwarciany and I am the health policy analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI promotes budget choices to reduce economic and racial inequality and...
Testimony of Jodi Kwarciany on Bill 22-460, Department of Health Smoking Cessation Fund Amendment Act of 2017
Chairperson Evans and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Jodi Kwarciany and I am the Health Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI is a non-profit organization that promotes opportunity and widespread...
CHIP Reauthorization Means Continued Health Coverage for Many DC Families
The 12,000 DC children who rely on CHIP—The Children’s Health Insurance Program—for their health coverage will continue to get the health care they need, now that this popular health coverage program has been reauthorized by Congress. Without CHIP reauthorization,...
DC Preserves Access to Women’s Health Care Services Amid Federal Uncertainty
A bill passed unanimously by the DC Council this month would maintain women’s access to preventive health care services without cost-sharing. The “Defending Access to Women’s Health Care Services Amendment Act of 2017,” or B22-0106, comes amidst concerns over the...
Health Care: Strengthen Access to Quality Care, Improve Public Health, and Reduce Racial and Economic Inequities in Health Outcomes
The District should take important steps in the fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget to strengthen access to quality health care, improve public health, and reduce racial and economic inequities in health access and outcomes. This includes removing barriers to health care...
Popular Health Coverage Option for DC Children in Jeopardy
As the new year begins, a critical health care program that serves millions of children across the country continues to be in limbo: the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. Unless reauthorized by Congress, this could cost the District millions to maintain...
Latest Federal Tax Proposal Could Raise Health Care Costs for DC Residents
The tax bills now working their way through Congress could increase health costs for DC residents, including those with serious health problems. The Senate and House have each passed tax bills lowering the tax rates for corporations and high-earning individuals, and...
New Tobacco Legislation Would Protect District’s Children
New legislation before the DC Council would prevent more children from starting to smoke and would support individuals who want to quit, by increasing the District’s tobacco tax and strengthening DC’s smoking cessation efforts. The Council should move forward with...
DC’s Home Visiting Programs Under Threat Without Federal Reauthorization
A critical program for DC families with young children will soon be in jeopardy because federal funding has not been reauthorized. If federal funding goes away, DC should fill in with local funding to avoid having to freeze enrollment or eliminate services altogether....
Don’t Be Spooked! Now Is the Time to Begin Enrolling in Health Coverage
Consumers can begin reviewing health plans and enrolling in coverage for 2018 tomorrow, November 1st. Despite confusion and uncertainty around federal policy, DC’s highly rated local insurance marketplace—DC Health Link—remains strong. DC residents and businesses can...