A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) informational bulletin reminds states of federal eligibility requirements and available flexibility to promote continuity of coverage for children and youth in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Since Medicaid unwinding began in March, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP among children has declined by 2.2 million.
The guidance reviews federal renewal requirements, reminding states they must try to renew enrollment through available information before contacting beneficiaries and that 12-month continuous eligibility for children in Medicaid and CHIP begins Jan. 1, 2024. CMS also discusses targeted outreach for children with special health care needs and supporting transitions between Medicaid and CHIP.
CMS outlines strategies to promote continuity of coverage, including increasing ex parte renewal rates, partnering with managed care organizations on renewal outreach, allowing multi-year continuous eligibility, suspending or eliminating premiums and enrollment fees in CHIP, and pausing procedural disenrollments. States may also use waiver authority to extend renewals for children for up to 12 months.
Concurrently, CMS released:
- Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment: Child and Youth Data Snapshot, Dec. 18.
- Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace Enrollments: Enrollment Trends Update, Dec. 18.
- Transitioning Individuals within Medicaid Eligibility Groups and between Medicaid and CHIP at Renewal, December 2023.
- Available State Strategies to Minimize Terminations for Procedural Reasons during the COVID-19 Unwinding Period: Operational Considerations for Implementation, December 2023; updated from June 2023.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also sent letters to states with the highest number and rates of child disenrollment: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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