Children's Health

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The state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a federally funded program administered by the states that provides health coverage for American children in working families. States design their own CHIP programs and determine policies and eligibility requirements within broad federal guidelines. In 2009, CHIP provided health coverage for 7.4 million children.

Medicaid and CHIP work together to provide health coverage for children in low- and middle-income families. Still, many children do not have health coverage. Currently, just under 8 million American children are uninsured. (Medicaid and CHIP go by different names in different states. Click here for a list of program names.)

This section of our Web site offers up-to-date information on children’s health coverage, including implementation of CHIPRA and the Affordable Care Act.

2013 Federal Poverty Guidelines are now available from HHS, and Families USA has calculated the figures for various household sizes by percentage of the federal poverty level.

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Online Services for Key Low-Income Benefit Programs describes the information and services that states make available online for programs such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. It includes a chart that shows which states offer online applications and a list of links to information about low-income programs in each state. (January 2013)

From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:

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 provides a snapshot of current state policies and procedures, and it highlights the changes that states will need to make to prepare for full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014. (January 2013)

From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute:

Medicaid/CHIP Participation among Children and Parents finds that eligibility for and participation in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) increased for children from 2008 to 2010, but participation among adults remained low. It includes state-level data on participation rates. (December 2012)

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