The KFF released two briefs examining express lane eligibility (ELE), a new tool provided by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) to reach and enroll uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP by utilizing data from public need-based programs or tax returns.  “Why Express Lane Eligibility Makes Sense for States and Low-Income Families” provides an overview of ELE and highlights general benefits of the initiative for both states and families while “Express Lane Eligibility Efforts: Lessons Learned from Early State Cross-Program Enrollment Initiatives” provides more specific lessons learned from early programs that utilized cross-program information.

From Why Express Lane Eligibility Makes Sense for States and Low Income Families:

Authorized by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) is a new tool available to states to streamline enrollment and renewal of children in Medicaid and CHIP. A primary goal of this and other outreach and simplification initiatives in CHIPRA is to reach the estimated seven in ten uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. ELE allows state Medicaid and CHIP agencies to utilize eligibility findings from other public programs, such as Head Start or Food Stamps, and/or tax return data to identify, enroll, and recertify children rather than requiring them to re-analyze and determine eligibility under their own rules. This brief provides an overview of ELE and highlights the potential benefits of implementing an ELE initiative.

Full report:   Why Express Lane Eligibility Makes Sense for States and Low Income Families (PDF | 238.82 KB)

Kaiser Family Foundation & The Children's Partnership. (2009). Why express lane eligibility makes sense for states and low income families.

From Express Lane Eligibility Efforts: Lessons Learned from Early State Cross-Program Enrollment Initiatives:

The Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) provisions in the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) provide states new options to reach and enroll the nearly 6 million low-income uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. ELE enables state Medicaid and CHIP agencies to identify, enroll, and recertify children by relying on eligibility findings from other programs, such as Head Start or Food Stamps, rather than having to re-analyze eligibility under their own rules. Further, CHIPRA authorizes greater use of electronic means to demonstrate eligibility. ELE builds upon prior state experience with cross-program enrollment, and this brief discusses lessons learned from these state experiences.

Full report:  Express Lane Eligibility Efforts: Lessons Learned from Early State Cross-Program Enrollment Initiatives (PDF | 288.87 KB)

Kaiser Family Foundation & The Children's Partnership. (2009). Express lane eligibility efforts: lessons learned from early state cross-program enrollment initiatives.