American Medical News
January 27, 2012
Twenty-nine states lowered cost-sharing, increased eligibility or improved enrollment systems in 2011, according to a survey.
By DOUG TRAPP, amednews staff. Posted Jan. 27, 2012.
Washington — Despite continued budget pressures on states, far more states eased than tightened access to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 2011.
Twenty-nine states increased Medicaid or CHIP eligibility, lowered beneficiary cost-sharing or improved their enrollment procedures in 2011. That’s according to a 50-state survey of state Medicaid programs released Jan. 18 by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. In contrast, only two states restricted Medicaid or CHIP eligibility last year, and only seven increased enrollee cost-sharing.
State Medicaid actions were influenced by federal incentives and requirements in the national health system reform law, according to the survey. For example, the Dept. of Health and Human Services announced in April 2011 that it would pay 90% of the costs of developing new or upgrading existing Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems until 2015. Eighteen states have received HHS approval for such upgrades, and 11 more have submitted applications, according to the report.
