-- Hundreds Of Thousands Are Losing Health Coverage As States Continue Program Cuts, Study Shows

-- Almost Half of Those Affected are Children New Report Includes State-by-State Estimates

TO BE HELD: Monday, December 22 at 2 p.m. (ET) and Tuesday, December 23 at 11 a.m. (ET)

With:

-- Father J. Brian Hehir, President, Catholic Charities USA;

-- Dr. Fernando Guerra, Director, Metropolitan Health Department, San Antonio and a practicing pediatrician

-- Leighton Ku, Senior Fellow, CBPP

-- Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, CBPP (Moderator)

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities will hold conference call briefings Monday, December 22 at 2 p.m. (ET) and on Tuesday, December 23 at 11 a.m. (ET) to discuss new Center studies on the extent to which low-income Americans are being cut adrift from health insurance as a result of cuts instituted by states facing budget deficits. The new analyses include state-by-state estimates of the number of people losing coverage in 34 states and descriptions of the cuts adopted in each state.

The reports, based on two new national surveys, find that in response to the biggest fiscal crisis since World War II, states are making unprecedented cutbacks in Medicaid and other health insurance programs, such as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Those cuts have been achieved through reductions in eligibility limits, changes in procedures that make it more difficult for eligible people to enroll or remain enrolled (such as by making the application process more complicated and increasing paperwork and other burdens), and increases in premiums that some low-income people cannot afford.

Almost half of those losing health insurance coverage are children. Large numbers of low-income parents, seniors, people with disabilities, childless adults and immigrants also are losing coverage. The cuts will cause the number of Americans without health insurance coverage to rise. This loss in public insurance coverage comes on top of a loss of private health insurance coverage that has occurred across the nation in recent years. The new Center studies can be found at http://www.cbpp.org

After opening remarks, the presenters will take questions from journalists.

To participate, please register by e-mailing bazie@cbpp.org, or calling the media team at 202-408-1080. Media may register on- line at http://www.cbpp.org/confcall.htm

(Select one): -- Monday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. (ET) -- Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. (ET)

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