In the past few years, Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) coverage for low-income children and families facing job loss, seniors in need of health and long-term care services, and people with disabilities has held remarkably steady. This is because the Recovery Act and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have ensured that states do not adopt more restrictive eligibility rules or enrollment procedures. The ACA’s stability protections (sometimes known as the “maintenance-of-effort” provisions) keep coverage stable for adults in Medicaid until January 1, 2014 and for children in Medicaid and CHIP until September 30, 2019. States that cover adults above 133 percent of the federal poverty level can reduce eligibility for these adults prior to January 1, 2014 if they have a budget deficit. Recently, a number of states have asked Congress to repeal the stability protections so that they can cut back coverage.

If the stability protections are rescinded, states can cancel cover-age for low-income families who rely on Medicaid and CHIP to help them through bouts of unemployment; for seniors in need of basic and long-term care services; and for people with dis-abilities relying on Medicaid to allow them to stay in the community.