‘Twas nearing the end of two thousand eleven
Performance bonus time; new states total seven
In addition to sixteen that earned a bonus last year
Twenty-three states have $296 million reasons to cheer
Child advocates are proud of the effort they led
Tactics for removing red tape dance in their heads
With Medicaid and CHIP staff who put actions in play
All anxiously have awaited the final okay
At last, CMS has released the results
Now all who value kids’ coverage can exult
From ten to sixteen to twenty-three states
In less than three years, our progress is great
Reauthorization of CHIP spurs the states on
Earn bonuses for covering kids all year long
If specific Medicaid enrollment targets are hit
And five of eight policies are in state toolkits
Passionate advocates have been clever and quick
Tackling policy changes and making them stick
Earning bonuses is a good strategic game
Key tactics and policies we all know by name
Use joint applications; assist with premiums, too
Stop in-person interviews; use data to renew
Adopt presumptive eligibility; cover kids for a full year
Liberalize asset tests, put express lane in gear
As families struggle financially each day
Let’s remove obstacles to coverage and pave the way
To peace of mind for parents, for their kids good health
When children are healthy, we all share the wealth
For twenty-three states, the celebration begins
A bonus for kids’ coverage is a significant win-win
To enroll all eligible children, states are propelled
It’s good for state budgets, and families as well
To maximize enrollment, states should be spry
From outreach to streamlining how families apply
To ensuring coverage at renewal so kids don’t lose
There’s a bag full of strategies for states to choose
Let families use the web to get coverage online
Harness technology; use electronic data to align
How eligibility is verified, accurately and fast
Processing paperwork is a thing of the past
Express lane taps other programs to lighten the load
Why re-verify what a sister agency has stowed
Use community partners to help families in need
It’s a vital element that helps states succeed
Focus on retention, keeping kids covered pays off
Not only in lowering state administrative costs
But in measuring quality, ongoing coverage is a must
And to effectively use dollars the public entrusts
Bonus states have adopted best practices that work
And we give them our praise for earning the perk
Other states have time to share next year’s prize
A policy put in place by April first qualifies
Covering kids is a strong value Americans share
It’s smart policy to care how all children fare
Let’s double our efforts we approach the New Year
Covering all children will surely bring us good cheer
CMS has announced that twenty-three states earned more than $296 million in performance bonuses for enrolling children in Medicaid in 2011. Seven new states qualified for the 2011 awards. Connecticut, Georgia, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia joined the sixteen states (Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin) that earned performance bonuses in both 2010 and 2011. Individual state awards range from $1.3 million to $28 million.
For more information on the performance bonus provision of CHIPRA, click here. Additional information on how states qualify can be found here. A list of states that qualified in 2011 and the award amounts can be found on here on www.insurekidsnow.gov.