ing Kids to Coverage National Campaign to reach out to families with children and teens who can qualify for Medicaid and CHIP coverage. Check out the Outreach Tool Library for a full view of the variety of outreach materials available, and CMS’ Initiative’s pages to locate topic-specific resources.
Connecting Kids to Coverage: State Outreach, Enrollment and Retention Strategies: Highlights effective and practical strategies to improve state outreach, enrollment, and renewal activities to reduce churn and retain children in Medicaid and CHIP health care programs. By May 2021, 39.0 million children were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, a significant increase that appears to have been driven by the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and the continuous enrollment requirement of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act [FFCRA]. Strategies presented by the Medicaid and CHIP [MAC] Learning Collaborative are informed by respondents from seven states between April 2020 and April 2021: Alabama, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Biden-Harris Administration Releases Medicaid and CHIP Guidance Targeting Vaccination and Testing for COVID-19: Issues guidance (08/30/21) to states as they navigate options to advance COVID-19 vaccination and testing for millions of eligible individuals. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS] provides states with information about additional American Relief Plan [ARP] funding to promote the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for eligible children and adults enrolled in Medicaid. This guidance highlights Medicaid and CHIP coverage for diagnostic and screening COVID-19 testing in a variety of settings, including schools; and reinforces that COVID-19 vaccines are available to nearly all Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP] beneficiaries for free.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
CMS Current Emergencies - 2020 Coronavirus: Offers technical guidance for health care providers and states about flexibilities in Medicaid and CHIP programs (service coverage, billing and coding, provider qualifications) to maximize health care support for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lists extensive updates of information and ongoing updates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] on health and health care-related aspects of the current coronavirus public health emergency.
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for State Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Agencies Posts additional FAQs to aid state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new FAQs cover a variety of Medicaid and CHIP topics, including Eligibility and Enrollment; Notice and Fair Hearings; Optional COVID-Testing Group FAQs; Premiums and Cost Sharing; Benefits; Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT); Information Technology; and Financing. CMS has integrated the new questions and answers with previous FAQ documents, and pledges to continue to review incoming questions and provide responses with ongoing updates to these FAQs.
Leveraging Medicaid to Support Early Childhood and Parental Mental Health Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Shares examples from several states of strategies to leverage cross-agency collaborations and strengthen Medicaid programs to support early childhood and parental mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and beyond. The Center for Health Care Strategies is leading a partnership, Aligning Early Childhood and Medicaid, under Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsorship, to enhance alignment across Medicaid and state agencies responsible for early childhood programs. This blog post describes Medicaid coverage of screening for maternal depression, extended coverage for women beyond 60 days post-partum, billing for family interventions, and other innovations.
Back-to-School and School-Based Outreach (Connecting Kids to Coverage): Hosts the ongoing Connecting Kids to Coverage campaign to support school-based efforts to inform