HHS Approves Mississippi Plan to Grant Presumptive Eligibility to Children Applying to CHIP Program

HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Oct. 5 approved a plan that would allow Mississippi to implement presumptive eligibility for children applying for health coverage under the state's CHIP program (HHS release, 10/5). Under presumptive eligibility, state-approved groups, called qualified entities, may enroll children who appear income-eligible in Medicaid or CHIP programs before confirming eligibility (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/21). Under the approved plan, Mississippi children from families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, or $35,300 for a family of four, would be eligible for immediate CHIP enrollment. While Mississippi's CHIP program is a combination Medicaid expansion plan and separate non-Medicaid CHIP program, presumptive eligibility would affect only those children in the separate CHIP portion of the program. The provision is retroactive to include children who applied for CHIP coverage after June 30, 2001 (HHS release, 10/5).