Enrolling eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP: a research update

Keeping children who are eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrolled in these programs remains an important policy challenge. An earlier study showed that one-third of all uninsured children in 2006 had been enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP the previous year. Updated results show that in 2008, children enrolled in Medicaid were somewhat more likely to remain in the program than in 2006. However, more than a quarter of all uninsured children in 2008 had been enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP the year before. In other words, roughly two million children became uninsured in 2008, despite their ongoing eligibility for these programs. It is possible that fewer children may also be enrolling in public programs since 2006 because of requirements that their U.S. citizenship status be documented.