Many Toddlers Fail To Get Necessary Medicaid Renewal At Their First Birthday

Kaiser Health News

By: Michelle Andrews

In some states, the babies of mothers that are covered by Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are immediately eligible to be covered by Medicaid or CHIP, respectively, for precisely one year. However, a federal policy is now demanding re-evaluation after their first year of their lives, which has led many children to be uninsured afterwards – and that is something that must be fixed.

Outdated technology is no excuse for states not addressing this longstanding problem, said Tricia Brooks, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.

Noting that these newborns are easily identified, Brooks said, “If nothing else, [state officials] could go in on a manual basis and trigger a review.”

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