Georgetown University Center for Children and Families

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) is a nonpartisan policy and research center founded in 2005 with a mission to support access to high-quality, comprehensive and affordable health coverage for all of America’s children and families.

As part of the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown CCF provides research, develops strategies, and offers solutions on policy development and implementation related to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Affordable Care Act.

State allies can call on Georgetown CCF to:

Provide support on state implications of proposed or enacted changes to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

State and national partners rely on Georgetown CCF to help analyze the impact of federal and state policy changes on young children, their families, and the systems that serve them.

Guide the development of policy that maximizes Medicaid funding health services and related supports (e.g. screenings, early intervention, infant and early childhood mental health).

By advancing new legislation or supporting state agency administrative changes, advocates can help ensure designated is available and leveraged to ensure health screenings and services are available and utilized by young children and their families.

Develop strategies to expand coverage and improve access to preventive care and follow-up services for young children and their families, including for pregnant and postpartum women.

These strategies can include support for advocates working to expand Medicaid for all adults, extend postpartum coverage under the American Rescue Plan, or boost pediatric benefits (EPSDT) for children, as well as preventing any new barriers to coverage.

On the Ground:

CCF helped to orient advocates in Montana with a Medicaid child and maternal health landscape overview as new organizational leaders came on board, using CCF’s state-tailored Medicaid/CHIP policy checklist.
Drafted a tailored 2-pager on Medicaid’s pediatric benefit, Early Periodic, Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT), for Maine advocates to use as part of candidate and policymaker education efforts.
Reviewed proposed bills and draft testimony for advocates in many states, including Nebraska and Ohio, trying to quickly make sense of proposed health care bills and their potential impact on maternal and early childhood health.

“Thank you again for all of your support this past year. I used your sector briefs and other blog posts nearly every day to write blogs of our own, brainstorm talking points, draft social media posts, support partners with op-eds, and send newsletters to our supporters about Medicaid/MaineCare.”

“CCF is our go-to for any and all Medicaid questions we have – we’re so grateful that we can send a quick email and get a thoughtful and insightful answer, often just minutes after we ask.”

Maine Children’s Alliance

“It is not an exaggeration to say that I leave every conversation with you with fresh take-aways, talking points, statistics, or strategies related to Medicaid advocacy and I am grateful to have so many ways and opportunities to learn from you.”