Topic Areas

Maximizing Enrollment for Kids will work with grantee states to test the effectiveness of known enrollment strategies and identify new strategies to enable states to enroll eligible children. The program will provide grantee states with technical assistance to implement improvements and assist in data collection and analysis to enable states to measure their progress.

States use a variety of methods to identify and reach children who are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. Data and information are important tools for pinpointing which children are eligible but unenrolled, in order to develop effective strategies to help them. Data from other programs that serve children and families who qualify for coverage can help identify those who are uninsured and allow for targeted follow-up.

Churning, the extent to which children lose and then regain coverage, is a critical issue in states’efforts to enroll and retain eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP. Maximizing Enrollment for Kids aims to test strategies, explore new ideas, and share information that can improve states ability to retain even greater numbers of children eligible for Medicaid and CHIP.

The first phase of Maximizing Enrollment for Kids will provide grantee states with a diagnostic assessment to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their Medicaid and CHIP systems, policies and procedures before any strategies to improve enrollment and retention of eligible children are pursued.

Funding and technical assistance provided through Maximizing Enrollment for Kids will help states address their own data collection challenges, enabling them to have better data to understand the populations they are targeting, the impact of changes they make on enrollment and retention, and to compare themselves with other states.