Family Coverage: Covering Parents Along with Their Children
Where States Stand
Eligibility
State Medicaid eligibility levels for parents are quite low in most states, but some states have moved forward to expand coverage for parents. As of January 2009:1
- A parent who is employed but whose total family income still leaves them below the federal poverty level (FPL) would be ineligible (i.e., over income) for Medicaid in 33 states. (The federal poverty level is equivalent to annual income of $18,310 for a family of three in 2009.)
- On the other hand, several states have taken advantage of federal options to expand coverage for parents through Medicaid. Full Medicaid coverage is available to parents with incomes at or above the poverty line in 18 states; an additional nine states have extended more limited (sometimes very limited) coverage to parents at this income level through waivers or state funds.2
See parent eligibility levels by state (PDF).
Simplification
Most, if not all, of the enrollment/renewal simplification steps that states have taken to boost participation rates for children in Medicaid and CHIP can be taken with respect to parents. However, in many states, the simplification measures adopted for children have not been applied to family-based coverage. As of January 2009:3
- Only 31 states had a simplified family coverage application similar to the simplified applications that virtually all states use for children;
- 42 states had dropped the application interview requirement for parents compared to 48 for children;
- 23 states had dropped their asset test for parents, compared to 46 states that have no asset test for children; and
- Renewal procedures also differ in some states for parents as compared to their children; for example, New Hampshire and North Carolina have 12-month renewal periods for children but 6-month renewal periods for parents.
See parent Medicaid/SCHIP simplifications by state (PDF).
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Legislative Authority
Footnotes
1. D. Cohen Ross & C. Marks, "
Challenges of Providing Health Coverage for Children and Parents in a Recession," Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (January 2009).
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2. In the states with limited coverage, either the eligibility is constrained, for example because the parent can only qualify if his or her employer contributes, and/or the benefits are limited. In some cases, this coverage is financed with state only funds.
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3.
op.cit. (1).
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