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Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility: Changes and Challenges Under ACA
Contact: Jennifer de Vallance, (202) 484-4692
WASHINGTON, DC—July 23, 2012—Whether or not states expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, they still must implement provisions to streamline Medicaid eligibility determinations. These provisions recommend the use of information technology to provide coverage that fits an individual's circumstances and needs. States can draw on the lessons from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which introduced a more consumer-friendly approach to eligibility determinations for constituents at all income levels. In a new issue brief, Mathematica senior researcher Cheryl Camillo places the required changes in historical context and describes states' challenges and progress in making it easier to enroll. In 2008, Camillo implemented Medicaid expansion and innovative outreach initiatives as the executive director of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Eligibility Services.
About Mathematica: Mathematica Policy Research seeks to improve public well-being by conducting studies and assisting clients with program evaluation and policy research, survey design and data collection, research assessment and interpretation and program performance/data management. Its clients include foundations, federal and state governments and private-sector and international organizations. The employee-owned company, with offices in Princeton, NJ; Ann Arbor, MI; Cambridge, MA; Chicago, IL; Oakland, CA; and Washington, DC; has conducted some of the most important studies of health care, nutrition, education, international, disability, family support, employment, and early childhood policies and programs.