Getting into Gear for 2014: Findings From a 50-State Survey of Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal and Cost-Sharing Policies in Medicaid and CHIP, 2012-2013

The 12th annual 50-state survey of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility, enrollment, and cost-sharing policies finds that nearly all states are pressing forward with information technology and process improvements to develop faster, streamlined Medicaid enrollment systems as required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), whether or not the state elects to expand Medicaid coverage under the law. As of Jan. 1, 2013, 47 states had applied for or received increased federal funds to make major upgrades to Medicaid enrollment systems, and 42 states had already begun their system development work, according to the survey, conducted with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Federal regulations released in 2012 outline the requirements for all Medicaid programs to have web-based, paperless, real-time enrollment processes that will rely on electronic data and minimize administrative burdens on individuals and eligibility workers. The survey provides a snapshot of Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and eligibility policies and procedures and highlights the changes that states will need to make in their programs to prepare for the ACA in 2014. The report was released at a Jan. 23, 2012,  public briefing at the Foundation’s Washington, D.C., office.