CMS just released 2013 participation rates for children in Medicaid and CHIP, as calculated by experts at the Urban Institute. We keep a close eye on this data as it provides important insights into how well states are reaching eligible but uninsured children (which are the majority of uninsured children). As Say Ahhh! readers well know, approximately two-thirds of uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage. Children’s health advocates and many state leaders have focused on improving outreach and reducing red tape that has prevented uninsured children from being enrolled in affordable coverage.

In the US in 2013, 88.3% of children eligible for Medicaid and CHIP were enrolled in the program. In other words, almost 12% of children who were eligible for Medicaid/CHIP remained uninsured. Since 2008, the children’s participation rate in Medicaid/CHIP has improved by 6.6 percentage points. Given that an increase in children’s participation in Medicaid/CHIP is associated with a reduction in the ranks of uninsured children, increasing participation rates is great news for our nation’s children who lack health coverage.

Dr. Genevieve Kenney of the Urban Institute will provide a more detailed analysis of national and state participation rates here on Say Ahhh! soon. In the meantime, here are a few highlights from the data:

• 23 states had participations rates above 90 percent and only two states (Nevada and Utah) had participation rates below 80 percent
• 22 states had significantly higher participation rates than the US national average (AL, AR, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, NY, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, VT, WV, WI)
• 12 states had significantly lower participation rate than the US national average (AZ, AK, CO, FL, GA, IN, MN, MO, NV, OK, TX, UT)

Curious about how your state is doing? Check out the list on InsureKidsNow and stay tuned for a more in-depth analysis from Dr. Genevieve Kenney.

Editor’s Note: The data reported here is from 2013 and does not reflect the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions that took effect on January 1, 2014.