The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) reinstated Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) coverage for about 500,000 children and families. The reinstatement followed a systems issue in 30 states that caused the individuals to be improperly disenrolled from coverage despite their eligibility.
CMS sent a letter to all U.S. states and territories after the disenrollments that required them to determine and report a systems issue, if found. The 30 states that reported a systems issue were required to pause procedural disenrollments.
About a month later, CMS sent an additional letter to state health officials that required states to provide 12 months of continuous coverage for children under the age of 19 starting on January 1, 2024. Interruptions in coverage have been linked to several challenges, such as fair or poor health status, increased financial barriers, and health inequity, all of which this continuous coverage seeks to reduce.
“Medicaid and CHIP are essential for millions of people and families across the country,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Addressing this issue with auto-renewals is a critical step to help eligible people keep their Medicaid and CHIP coverage during the renewals process, especially children. CMS will keep doing everything in our power to help people have the health coverage they need and deserve.”