The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
KFF’s policy research provides facts and analysis on a wide range of policy issues and public programs.
KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the organization’s core operating programs.
This fact sheet examines the provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that require states to maintain eligibility and enrollment standards for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. These maintenance of eligibility (MOE) provisions were designed to keep Medicaid and CHIP coverage stable until coverage expands under the health reform law.
This report presents information on the number of children enrolled in SCHIP for each state, for specific months from 1998 to 2001. As of December 2001, the SCHIP program covered 3.5 million low-income children. An increase of 780,000 from the previous year.
A Video The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured's video profiles five families who have children covered by Medicaid. These five families reflect the diversity of those helped by Medicaid -- families from all over the country of varying races/ethnicities, ages and sizes.
Out in the Cold: Enrollment Freezes in Six State Children's Health Insurance Programs Withhold Coverage from Eligible Children This report finds that six states were implementing enrollment freezes in their SCHIP program, leaving tens of thousands of eligible children without health coverage. Issue Paper (.
Children’s Medicaid and SCHIP in Texas: Tracking the Impact of Budget Cuts The case study details the impact of Texas' legislative actions on enrollment in its Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Texas experienced the largest SCHIP enrollment decline in the nation between June 2003 and December 2003. Executive Summary (.pdf) Full Report (.
Health Coverage For Low-Income Children This fact sheet profiles the low-income children population, describes sources of health insurance coverage for the population, and summarizes trends and issues about their health coverage. Fact Sheet (.
SCHIP Reauthorization: Key Questions in the Debate – A Description of New Administrative Guidance and the House and Senate Proposals The U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives have approved legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which covers six million low-income children today.
Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) is a new tool available to states to streamline enrollment and renewal of children in Medicaid and CHIP.
Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) is a new tool available to states to streamline enrollment and renewal of children in Medicaid and CHIP.
This paper provides an overview of Medicaid eligibility policy and examines two groups of Americans in particular - low-income children and nondisabled adults under 65 - and summarizes the statutory and regulatory pathways to Medicaid eligibility available to them as individuals.
© 2026 KFF