On January 11, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released its annual 50 state survey of state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) policies.  The brief examines enrollment and renewal procedures as well as states’ cost-sharing practices.  The authors noted particular improvements in coverage among low-income children but found fewer enrollment increases among low-income adults.  In addition, the authors determined that states are using technology to modernize their health programs but suggest that more technology is necessary to assure smooth health care reform implementation.

From the report:

Over the past year, as the nation’s attention was focused on the country’s continuing economic problems and the debate over the passage of broader health care reform, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) continued to play their central role of providing coverage to millions of people who otherwise lack affordable coverage options. In 2010, this role was more pronounced than ever as families losing their jobs and access to employer‐based coverage turned to public programs in growing numbers. Without Medicaid and CHIP, many more individuals would have become uninsured, adding to the 50 million currently without coverage. Based on a survey of state officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, this tenth annual report provides an overview of state actions on eligibility rules, enrollment and renewal procedures, and cost sharing practices in Medicaid and CHIP during 2010, as well as the status of coverage as of January 1, 2011, for children, parents, pregnant women, and other non‐disabled adults.

Full Report: Holding Steady, Looking Ahead: Annual Findings of a 50‐State Survey of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010‐2011 (PDF | 1.26 MB)

Kaiser Family Foundation. (2011). Holding steady, looking ahead: annual findings of a 50-state survey of eligibility rules, enrollment and renewal procedures, and cost sharing practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010- 2011. Heberlein, M., Brooks, T., Guyer, J., Artiga, S., and Stephens, J.