Health Insurance: Medicaid, CHIP, and the Affordable Care Act

Availability of health services is critical to every family, including families involved with the child welfare system. Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are two Federal-State health insurance and services programs for low-income children, youth, and families. Both are valuable resources, but too few families are aware they are available.

• Medicaid
• CHIP
• Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Medicaid

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Medicaid Eligibility
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Overview of Medicaid eligibility.

Diagnoses and Health Care Utilization of Children Who Are in Foster Care and Covered by Medicaid (PDF - 1157 KB)
Richardson, Mark, & Miller (2013)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Examines the prevalence of mental and physical illnesses and the utilization of health care services among children in foster care who are covered by Medicaid. Trends across three age groups and disparities between the children in foster care and children covered by Medicaid who are not in foster care are also identified.

Improving Outcomes for Children in Child Welfare: A Medicaid Managed Care Toolkit (PDF - 1659 KB)
Allen, Pires, & Mahadevan (2012)
Discusses how the Center for Health Care Strategies worked with nine managed care organizations (MCOs) nationwide to identify strategies to enhance collaboration between MCOs and child welfare agencies to improve health care and outcomes for children in the child welfare system.

Medicaid Benefits: Online Database
Kaiser Family Foundation
An interactive database with information provided by each State's Medicaid program. Includes details on benefits, limits, co-payments, and reimbursement methods.

Policy Solutions to Address the Barriers to Medicaid Re-Enrollment for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care (PDF - 3,072 KB)
Pharr (2011)
Discusses four barriers to youth re-enrolling into Medicaid upon leaving foster care: youths' lack of knowledge of the Medicaid option, their strong desire to disassociate from the system, their lack of healthy adult connections, and the lack of knowledge of those who provide services. Recommendations to address the barriers are included.

State Strategies for Care Coordination, Case Management, and Linkages for Young Children: A Scan of State Medicaid, Title V, and Part C Agencies (PDF - 394 KB)
National Academy for State Health Policy (2009)
Describes State models to inform policymakers of resources and tools available to promote healthy development for young children and provide States with strategies to coordinate resources more effectively and achieve better outcomes for children

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CHIP

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: SCHIP
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Title XXI of the Social Security Act, was enacted in 1997 to address the growing problem of children without health insurance. SCHIP was designed as a Federal/State partnership, similar to Medicaid, with the goal of offering health insurance to children whose families earn too much money to be eligible for Medicaid but not enough to purchase private insurance.

Medicaid Works: A Review of How Public Insurance Protects the Health and Finances of Children and Other Vulnerable Populations (PDF - 859 KB)
Ku & Ferguson (2011)
Reviews the effectiveness of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in addressing the health and financial needs of vulnerable Americans, including children.

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Affordable Care Act (ACA)

ACA Protects and Improves Access to Preventive Care for Children (PDF - 505 KB)
Georgetown University, Center for Children and Families (2012)
Describes the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on preventive care for children and families connected to child welfare systems.

How Health Care Reform Can Help Children and Families in the Child Welfare System (PDF - 640 KB)
Emam & Golden (2013)
The Urban Institute
Provides a summary of the provisions available in the ACA for children involved with the child welfare system to families and child welfare professionals. This document seeks to encourage stakeholders to become more involved with the successful implementation of the ACA. 

How Human Service Programs and Their Clients Can Benefit From National Health Reform Legislation (PDF - 877 KB)
Dorn (2011)
The Urban Institute
Provides an overview of the ACA and the means through which eligibility is determined. Explains how other service programs, such as TANF and SNAP, can help support and promote effective implementation of the new healthcare model. 

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