Premium Assistance Programs: How are They Financed and Do States Save Money

October 2005


Authors: Joan Alker

Published by: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured


Premium assistance programs use federal and state Medicaid and/or SCHIP funds to subsidize the purchase of private health insurance. This issue brief examines premium assistance programs implemented in five states to determine how they are financed, their eligibility, benefit, and cost-sharing requirements, their methods for determining cost-effectiveness, and cost savings.

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