Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

The Trump Administration and new Congress have indicated that they will seek to cap Medicaid financing through a block grant or per capita cap, reduce federal funding for the program, and offer states increased flexibility to manage their programs within this more limited financing structure. The size of the federal reductions as well as which federal program standards would remain in place and what increased flexibility might be provided to states under such proposals would have significant implications. To help inform discussion around increased flexibility, this brief provides an overview of current federal standards and state options in Medicaid and how states have responded to these options in four key areas: eligibility, benefits, premiums and cost sharing, and provider payments and delivery systems.

An article in the January/February 2001 issue of Health Affairs by Judith Feder, Larry Levitt, Ellen O’Brien, and Diane Rowland assesses how best to expand health insurance coverage for the low-income uninsured. The article concludes that despite flaws in existing public programs, which can and should be remedied, strengthening programs like Medicaid…

This brief examines the latest Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections for federal Medicaid and CHIP spending over the 2014-2024 period. CBO’s budget projections, also known as “baseline” projections, reflect CBO’s best judgment about how the economy and other factors will affect federal revenues and spending under existing laws. The brief also examines CBO estimates of the coverage effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and spending. Understanding the CBO baseline estimates is important because they are the basis to evaluate the federal cost and coverage implications of proposed federal policy changes.

This issue brief updates monthly enrollment data for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) across all 50 states and DC to include June 2012 data.

This 50-state survey provides a snapshot of Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and eligibility policies and procedures and highlights the changes that states will need to make in their programs to prepare for the ACA in 2014.

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 (.pdf)

Checking Up on Children's Health Coverage: A Progress Report on Medicaid and SCHIPAt a July 23, 2004 Washington, DC policy briefing two new Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured reports show State Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment declined in the second half of 2003 and examine what led to…

Children’s Medicaid and SCHIP in Texas: Tracking the Impact of Budget CutsThe 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 (.pdf)

Out in the Cold: Enrollment Freezes in Six State Children's Health Insurance Programs Withhold Coverage from Eligible ChildrenThis 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 (.pdf)

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.