The health reform law provides for a national expansion of Medicaid in 2014 that will extend eligibility to millions more low-income people, primarily uninsured adults. It also requires implementation of a coordinated system for determining eligibility for Medicaid and subsidized coverage in the new health insurance exchanges. Given the expected new demands on Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems, and continuing fiscal strains on states, the impetus to streamline and automate Medicaid systems has never been greater.  

Growing out of an earlier report, Optimizing Medicaid Enrollment: Perspectives on Strengthening Medicaid’s Reach Under Health Reform, this series examines how selected states are using technology in innovative ways to streamline and simplify Medicaid enrollment. It illustrates various approaches that states can adopt to improve their systems now and to gear up for the Medicaid expansion and health reform overall. Spotlights on technology in several other states will be added here as they become available.

Oklahoma's Automatic Newborn Enrollment System

Using Schools and Data Matching to Enroll Kids in Medicaid and CHIP

Wisconsin's ACCESS Internet Portal

Louisiana’s Express Lane Eligibility