Reports & Toolkits

Fulfilling the Promise of 2014: Aligning and Simplifying Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment for Children and Parents

August 30, 2011

This brief, authored by Georgetown University Center for Children and National Women's Law Center, looks at current state efforts to align and simplify coverage for children and parents in Medicaid  and how the ACA moves states toward a more coordinated system of family-based coverage. As we examine these policies, it important to note that aligning policies and procedures is beneficial to states, as well as families. Simplified rules and requirements make it easier to communicate program information and to train eligibility workers, resulting in more consistent and accurate eligibility determinations. States that have maximized alignment and simplification policies not only ensure that eligible persons get and stay enrolled but also reduce the state’s administrative burden and costs, a high priority in the current fiscal environment. Finally, this brief makes suggestions on how states can transition toward ACA implementation and raises issues for further consideration.

Protecting Programs for Low-Income People in Deficit Reduction Plans Is Vital to Women and Their Families

August 23, 2011

Women and their families should not bear the brunt of deficit reduction.  Any agreement on deficit reduction must neither cut low-income assistance programs directly nor subject these programs to future cuts under automatic enforcement mechanisms.  Increased revenues from those with the greatest ability to pay must be a major part of any deficit reduction plan.  Maintaining and strengthening programs like those described in this report protects the most vulnerable today and expands opportunity for a stronger shared future. 

Cutting the Social Security COLA by Changing the Way Inflation Is Calculated Would Especially Hurt Women

June 23, 2011

Cutting the Social Security COLA by Changing the Way Inflation is Calculated Would Especially Hurt Women shows that women will be hit hardest by changing the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment from the CPI-W to the “chained CPI”.  This proposed change delivers a triple whammy to women.  Since women live longer than men, they face deeper cuts in their Social Security benefits under the chained CPI because the cuts get larger each year.  Women rely more on income from Social Security than do men, so these cuts would represent a greater share of their total retirement income.  And since older women are already more economically vulnerable than older men, these cuts will leave more of them unable to meet basic needs.

MEMO: H.R. 3 Proponents Narrow Rape Exception

May 03, 2011

This memo expalins how H.R. 3 proponents seek to narrow the rape exception. The House Judiciary Committee report on HR 3 reflects an attempt to narrow the rape exception even though the statutory term "forcible" was removed and misrepresents longstanding policy on the rape exception.

Promising State Child Care Quality and Infant/Toddler Initiatives

April 07, 2011

High-quality child care encourages children’s learning and development and helps them enter school ready to succeed. Yet in most communities, high-quality care is in short supply, particularly for low-income children and very young children. States and communities are working to address this shortage and improve the quality of care through a number of promising strategies, with the help of federal funding. To obtain a snapshot of notable state quality improvement initiatives, the National Women's Law Center asked child care administrators in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia to identify their states’ most promising quality initiative and most promising infant/toddler initiative supported with these resources.

Duty First: Towards Patient-Centered Care and Limitations on the Right to Refuse for Moral, Religious, or Ethical Reasons

March 31, 2011

This article provides an overview of the harm to patients caused by refusals to provide health care based individuals’ or institutions’ religious, moral or ethical beliefs.  The article argues that any law or policy allowing health care providers to refuse services to patients must emphasize providers’ duty to their patients.   The article examines existing refusal laws, and describes how they contravene medical ethics and undermine established principles of quality medical care.  The article concludes with recommendations for heightened patient protections which limit the burden of refusals currently imposed on patients.

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget and H.R. 1, the Continuing Resolution: A Tale of Two Visions

February 18, 2011

The budget is a statement of national priorities, and in February 2011, the nation was presented with two drastically different visions: President Obama's budget for Fiscal Year 2012 and H.R 1, the House Republican bill for funding (or de-funding) the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011.

Below the Radar: Religious Refusals to Treat Pregnancy Complications Put Women in Danger

January 31, 2011

A serious but little known problem is putting women’s health and lives at risk: because of their religious beliefs, certain health care providers do not give appropriate treatment to women experiencing serious pregnancy complications.

Prior Year Federal Budget and Appropriations Analyses

January 01, 2011

NWLC analyses and resources about past years' federal budget and appropriations proposals can be found below.

The Case for Dependent Allowances in Washington: $98 Million in Federal Funds Available to Help Jobless Workers Support Their Families

December 16, 2010

This report explains how reforming Washington state’s unemployment insurance (UI) program to include “dependent allowances” for jobless parents could help vulnerable families make ends meet while making Washington eligible for nearly $98 million in federal funding to finance the reform.