Understanding The Medicaid And CHIP Maintenance of Eligibility Requirements

This fact sheet examines the provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that require states to maintain eligibility and enrollment standards for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. These maintenance of eligibility (MOE) provisions were designed to keep Medicaid and CHIP coverage stable until coverage expands under the health reform law.

Under the MOE provisions, to receive federal Medicaid funds, states cannot impose eligibility and enrollment policies that are more restrictive than those in place at the time the ACA was enacted (March 23, 2010) until 2014 for adults and until 2019 for children in Medicaid and CHIP. An exception allows states facing a budget deficit to reduce eligibility for non‐disabled adults above 133% FPL.

Fact Sheet (.pdf)

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