New York’s CHIP, Medicaid Programs Not Sufficiently Aligned, Study Says

Disparities between New York state's Medicaid and CHIP programs have "frayed the safety net for low-income children," according to a new Children's Defense Fund study. The report, titled "Creating a Seamless Health Insurance System for New York's Children," found that while the state has made an effort to align Medicaid and Child Health Plus, the state's CHIP program, "differences remain" in public education and outreach, enrollment rules, transfer and recertification processes, financing and administration, services covered and reimbursement policies. In addition, the study urges state officials to address these differences to enable more children to obtain coverage or remain in the programs. The study also provides the following recommendations:

• ensure that children applying for either Medicaid or Child Health Plus are "directly linked to enrollment for both";
• eliminate the requirement for a "face-to-face interview" for Medicaid applicants;
• provide immediate Child Health Plus coverage upon a child's birth;
• "halt all new enrollment" of Child Health Plus enrollees in insurance plans that do not also participate in Medicaid managed care, "except in counties where no plans participate in both programs;" and
• provide educational materials that explain the new "unified" child health program and the benefits and requirement for both components (Commonwealth Fund release, 2/14).