Kaiser Family Foundation & CCF Release 50-State Survey on Medicaid and CHIP

It’s time again for the release of the annual 50-state survey on Medicaid and CHIP enrollment, eligibility, cost-sharing and renewal policies conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

It’s clear that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has broadened Medicaid’s base of coverage for the low-income population and fast tracked state efforts to move from obsolete, paper-based enrollment processes to a more modernized enrollment experience.

Highlights of the key findings include:

• Overall, states have made significant progress in offering Online Medicaid applications in all states, except Tennessee, and the majority of states accept Medicaid applications by phone. States also have instituted policies that rely on electronic data sources and minimize the paperwork process to verify information of applicants.

• States still have continued transition work to do under the ACA , such as improving information systems, implementing improved renewal processes and improving coordination between Medicaid and the Marketplaces.

• Reflecting the low incomes of parents and adults in Medicaid, as of Jan. 1, 30 states charge premiums or enrollment fees and 27 states charge cost-sharing for children. No states charge premiums for parents or adults newly eligible under the ACA in traditional Medicaid, but most charge nominal cost-sharing for both adult groups.

• The long-standing gap in coverage for adults has been eliminated in the 28 states that expanded Medicaid but persists in the 23 non-expansion states where parents are covered at a median eligibility of 45% of the federal poverty level and non-disabled adults without dependent children remain ineligible.

The policy environment continues to rapidly change on a weekly basis, making it difficult to capture a complete picture of certain developing processes such as renewals, verification using data sources, and account transfers between coverage sources. Even so, this 2015 survey creates a new baseline for measuring ongoing progress and improvements in Medicaid and CHIP in future years as states continue to revolutionize their programs.

This blog was originally posted on blog.gormanhealthgroup.com.
John Gorman: Under John’s leadership, Gorman Health Group has become the leading professional services and solutions firm for government-sponsored health care, providing thought leadership and expert strategic, operational, and technology-based solutions. Read more.