Progress Enrolling Children in Medicaid/CHIP: Who is Left and What are the Prospects for Covering More Children?

December 14, 2009 This brief was written by Genevieve Kenney, Allison Cook, and Lisa Dubay. The authors write that the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 gave states additional resources and tools aimed at improving participation in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In 2007, five million uninsured children were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, constituting 64 percent of all uninsured children. Nationwide, over 80 percent of eligible children participated in Medicaid/CHIP, but participation rates, as well as the characteristics of uninsured eligible children, vary dramatically across areas.Efforts to streamline application . . .