Back to Basics: Effective State Medicaid and CHIP Outreach to Families Doesn’t Need to be Complicated

In this series, we’ve been diving deeper into our outreach snapshot to look at more state-based examples that we find compelling. Though they may seem disparate, this installment covers some of the most quintessential outreach activities included in the research. First up: videos focused on outreach to individuals and families, such as who is eligible…

June 20, 2024

By

Natalie Lawson

and

Hannah Green

Resources in Spanish

Children’s Health Coverage Report Press Call

Listen to Press Call Read Press Release Speaker Bios for December 7, 2022 Press Call Joan Alker is the co-founder and executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and a Research Professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. She is a nationally recognized expert on Medicaid and…

December 5, 2022

Blog

CMS Releases Guidance on Timely Processing of Applications and Extension of Unwinding Flexibilities

The unprecedented volume of Medicaid redeterminations generated by the expiration of the continuous coverage provisions has been somewhat of a “stress test” for state Medicaid systems. The number of Medicaid applications exceeding federal timeliness standards is one indicator that a state is not doing well on this stress test and a signal that something needs…

May 10, 2024

By

Tricia Brooks

Blog

New and Improved Navigator Resource Guide Answers Common Enrollment Questions, Spotlights Innovative Outreach for Communities of Focus

November 1 marked the start of the Affordable Care Act’s eighth open enrollment season in most states. To help marketplace Navigators and others assisting consumers with marketplace eligibility and enrollment, we at CHIR have updated and improved our Navigator Resource Guide. The Guide is a practical, hands-on resource with over 300 frequently asked questions (FAQs) on topics such as marketplace eligibility, premium and…

November 10, 2021

Blog

New! Tips for Advocates on Preparing for Unwinding of the PHE Continuous Eligibility Provision

[Editor’s Note: A new version of our Tips and Best Practices for Unwinding the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Protection can be found here.] Although the end of the public health emergency (PHE) remains a moving target, it’s not too early to start planning for phasing out the continuous eligibility maintenance of effort provision and the eventual…

August 31, 2021

By

Tricia Brooks

Blog

COVID-19 Response: States That Run Their Own ACA Marketplace Are Better Positioned to Help Consumers Get Covered

This blog was originally posted on the Georgetown Center on Health Insurance Reforms’ CHIRBlog. As COVID-19 cases climb, social distancing – the best tool we have to bring the virus to heel – has wrought an unprecedented loss of jobs, income, and health coverage. Over the coming months, the uninsured rate is expected to skyrocket. In the…

April 16, 2020

By

Rachel Schwab

and

Adam Searing

Blog

Advocacy Tips to Connect Afghan Evacuees to Health Coverage

Even close followers of Congress and the Administration may have missed a couple of recent developments about access to health coverage for Afghan evacuees arriving in the US following the withdrawal of troops this summer. The complexity of immigration rules and Medicaid eligibility rules has led to a lot of confusion about Medicaid eligibility specifically,…

November 4, 2021

By

Kelly Whitener

Blog

Biden Administration Promises Predictability on Future Extensions of the Public Health Emergency

In a recent letter to Governors, Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Norris Cochran signaled that the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) “will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021.” Moreover, the letter assures states that when a determination is made to terminate the PHE or let it expire, HHS will provide states…

January 24, 2021

By

Tricia Brooks

Research & Reports

Are States Ready to Implement HR 1 and Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements?

Key Findings Introduction On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law HR 1 (P.L. 119-21), the massive budget reconciliation bill that cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and Marketplace health coverage. The law strips coverage from many lawfully residing immigrants, ties the hands of states to raise revenue to cover the state share…

September 4, 2025

By

,

,

,

and

Blog

Final Regulations on Navigators, In-Person Assisters and Certified Application Counselors

It was another hot summer Friday for regulations with the release of the final rule on navigator and non-navigator assisters (aka in-person assisters) and Exchange-based certified application counselors (CAC). (Don’t our friends at CMS know that we like to take weekends off?) All in all, the proposed rules for navigators were finalized with minimal changes…

July 15, 2013

By

Tricia Brooks

Research & Reports

Comments on Temporary Increase in FMAP in Response to Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Reopening of Public Comment

Georgetown University Center for Children and Families submitted comments to CMS on the “Medicaid Program; Temporary Increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE); Reopening of Public Comment Period”. CCF Comments IFR-C MOE 2022

October 27, 2022

By

Kelly Whitener

Blog

CMS Issues Final Rule on New Premium Assistance Option

As my diligent colleague Tricia Brooks reported, CMS issued an important final rule on July 5th that we have been expecting for some time. While the rule did not finalize a number of issues, it did include slightly revised rules for states interested in pursuing premium assistance in the individual market – sort of a hot…

July 12, 2013

By

Joan Alker

Blog

Assister Types Abound: Introducing the Certified Application Counselor

Using community-based organizations, including community health centers and hospitals, to assist with Medicaid and CHIP enrollment has been a core element of successful state strategies in maximizing children’s health coverage over the years. Based on the latest 50-state survey on Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and enrollment, 23 states provided funding to these key community partners…

February 19, 2013

By

Tricia Brooks

Blog

New Medicaid State Planning Grants for Mobile Crisis Intervention Services

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it awarded $15 million in planning grants to 20 state Medicaid agencies to support expanding access to community-based mobile crisis intervention services for Medicaid beneficiaries. As mentioned in our previous blog, the American Rescue Plan created a new state option for state Medicaid…

September 24, 2021

By

Anne Dwyer

Blog

Tech Tuesday: Technology Will Deliver Most Navigator and Assister Training

As the federal government and states work toward developing training for navigators and assisters, it is likely that much of it will be web-based. Using technology to deliver training is certainly cost-effective. It enables navigator entities to get new staff trained without waiting for the next scheduled training, and allows states to making training easily…

July 2, 2013

By

Tricia Brooks

Blog

It’s Here! An Introduction to the Much-Anticipated Updated School-Based Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming Guide

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and last week’s news takes this month to heart with the release of the much-awaited Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in consultation with the US Department of Education (ED). The first comprehensive update in two decades, CMS’s…

May 22, 2023

By

Margaux Johnson-Green

and

Anne Dwyer

Media Coverage

In-person assistance and information on deadlines, eligibility, financial help and renewals can boost Latino participation

National Council of La Raza (NCLR) November 12, 2014 By Julian Teixeira The Latino population faces continuous issues when it comes to enrolling or renewing health insurance and is thus one of the most uninsured populations in the United States. National Council of La Raza (NCLR) experts state that bilingual materials, the availability of knowledgable…

November 12, 2014

By

News Article

Research & Reports

New Brief: Where Things Stand on the Medicaid and CHIP Provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

Medicaid (alongside the Children’s Health Insurance Program) covers more than half of all children in the U.S. and serves as the single largest payer of behavioral health services. Yet, timely access to mental health services remains elusive for many children and families. In June 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act…

August 23, 2023

By

Anne Dwyer

Serving Low-Income Families Through Premium Assistance

March 8, 2012

Blog

Reconciliation Bill Would Phase Out Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement with Key Enrollee Protections

There are many positive provisions in the Build Back Better Act (BBB) reconciliation bill as described by my colleague, Edwin Park, including filling the Medicaid coverage gap in non-expansion states, extending postpartum coverage, and making CHIP permanent. The BBB bill also phases out the 6.2 percentage point increase in the federal Medicaid funding and allows…

October 29, 2021

By

Tricia Brooks

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