Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

This issue brief provides key findings from the Kaiser Survey of Children’s Health Coverage, including that many low- and middle-income working families with an uninsured child do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance. The telephone survey of parents that was conducted in 2007 to learn more about children’s access…

Overall, more than one-third of the states (19 states) took steps last year to increase access to health coverage for low-income children, pregnant women and parents –- including 15 states that authorized or implemented coverage expansions. At the same time, 10 states enacted at least one measure to restrict access.…

With Congress poised to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with a substantial increase in its federal funding, there are potentially new opportunities for reducing the estimated 9 million uninsured children nationwide. At the same time, the nation’s weak economy and growing unemployment is resulting in fewer families…

This chartbook provides fundamental facts about children’s health insurance coverage. Chartbook (.pdf) Previous Versions: February 2007 (.pdf)

This fact sheet outlines issues in outreach and enrollment for Medicaid and SCHIP. It provides a profile of eligible but uninsured children, discusses the greatest barriers to enrollment, and offers strategies to improve enrollment. Fact Sheet (.pdf)

The Kaiser Family Foundation maintains a number of primers providing overviews of key health care programs and issues. Written by Foundation staff, each primer provides key data and information that helps illustrate the topic and its relevance for the nation’s health care system. Medicaid: A Primer Medicare: A Primer The…

This article examines the evolution and current role of Medicaid in improving access to preconception care for low-income women. It reviews Medicaid's eligibility policy and benefits of relevance to women of reproductive age, and discusses challenges facing the program. Authors Alina Salganicoff, vice president and director of women's health policy…

This policy brief discusses several short-term options for strengthening Medicaid at time when the economic recession has increased demand for the program and constrained state budgets. It details potential steps such as increasing federal funding, easing enrollment barriers and temporarily expanding coverage. Policy Brief (.pdf)

The economic downturn has strained family finances and prompted some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care and visits to the doctor. At the same time, the downturn has triggered declines in tax revenue that inhibit states’ ability to meet rising Medicaid program costs as enrollment spikes…

This report highlights states' innovative use of health information technology in their Medicaid and SCHIP programs to improve their ability to reach and enroll eligible children, improve the quality of care for children, increase communications with families, and continue to modernize their programs. Although many of these efforts are still…