Ask anyone to share their childhood memories and inevitably, birthday parties will be among their favorite stories. So it’s fitting that we celebrate similar milestones when it comes to children’s health coverage as we are doing on this second anniversary of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). Cake and ice cream are yummy, but I particularly like the party favors offered up by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) in the form of another round of CHIPRA outreach grants.
When CHIP was reauthorized in 2009, $100 million was allocated for outreach with $10 million each reserved for a national enrollment campaign and outreach to American Natives. A first round of $40 million in outreach grants to states and community-based organizations was awarded in September 2009. Round 2 is now up for grabs. And, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), an additional $40 million sweetens the pot and will be split similarly to the $100 million: 10% for the national efforts and 10% for Native American outreach, leaving $32 million to be awarded before 2015 for what is likely to be a third round of grants.
The funding opportunity announcement for this second round of $40 million in CHIPRA outreach and enrollment grants invites states, local governments, community-based and nonprofit organizations, tribes and others to apply for support of outreach activities that result in enrollment and retention of children eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. The Cycle II grant solicitation encourages prospective grantees to focus their efforts in one of the following focus areas:
1) Using Technology to Facilitate Enrollment and Renewal: Examples of possible proposals include creating on-line applications, augmenting existing applications (for example, adding electronic signature capability, a renewal module, or personal account management functions), or extending the reach of on-line applications through community-based organizations.
2) Focusing on Retention: Keeping Eligible Children Covered for as Long as They Qualify: Projects may include efforts to simply renewal processes, use pre-populated renewal forms and support rolling renewals when enrollees visit a health care provider.
3) Engaging Schools in Outreach, Enrollment and Renewal Activities: Proposals in this focus area could include coordinating children’s coverage with school lunch programs or engaging school officials and staff in implementing routine, ongoing outreach and enrollment efforts.
4) Reaching Out to Groups of Children that are More Likely to Experiences Gaps in Coverage: Proposals in this focus area should target minority groups where language, literacy and cultural barriers may result in gaps in coverage.
5) Ensuring Eligible Teens Are Enrolled and Stay Covered: Grants in this area might fund specialized marketing campaigns to teens and outreach efforts through school-based health centers, after-school initiatives or youth employment programs.
Grants for focus area #1 qualify for awards ranging from $200,000 to $2.5 million, while awards for focus areas 2 through 5 will start at $200,000 but are capped at $1 million. Grantees from round 1 are welcome to apply if they are in good standing and are proposing a new project that matches the focus areas. Proposals must demonstrate how the activities will result in systemic change that will be ongoing and sustained.
Applications are due on April 18, 2011 and awards will be announced in July 2011. CMS will be holding the first of two applicant teleconferences on February 15, 2011 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. EST (information to be posted on the Insure Kids Now website). The solicitation can be found on www.grants.gov under CFDA 93.767.
