Utah
Utah: Working Smart for Utah’s Kids
The Working Smart for Utah’s Kids initiative led by the state Department of Health, seeks to maximize enrollment of eligible Utah children by removing administrative barriers to enrollment and retention in Medicaid and CHIP.
The initial phase of the Maximizing Enrollment program focused on an assessment of the strengths and opportunities for improvement in each grantee state’s enrollment and retention systems. Utah’s assessment determined the following:
Strengths:
- Efforts to simplify application and enrollment process through system enhancements, policy and procedure.
- Investments in new information systems which reduce paperwork and make eligibility and renewal processes more efficient.
- Development of partnerships with schools.
Challenges:
- Lack of data analysis to guide improvements.
- Limited number of community partners.
Goals for Improvement:
- Remove administrative barriers to enrollment and retention.
- Streamline application and renewal processes.
- Augment client education information.
- Integrate data from federal and state programs.
- Strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations.
Key Activities:
- Focus on exchange/reform work and issues.
- Develop a screening tool for the current exchange.
- Analyze disenrollment and churning rates in Medicaid and CHIP.
- Implement customer-oriented updates to online consumer case management system (MyCase)
- Design and create interfaces and system enhancements in eREP; an electronic system that supports eligibility determinations and benefit calculation for Medicaid, CHIP, TANF, SNAP, Child Care and other programs.
- Analyze and revise current correspondences sent via eREP
- Ensure communications, such as targeted outreach, are available in multiple languages
Alignment with Reform:
- Implemented eREP in 2004[1], which supports the exchange of eligibility data between multiple programs
- Launched Utah Health Exchange in 2009[2]
Click here for a profile of Utah’s Medicaid and CHIP programs and to learn about the state’s enrollment and renewal simplification strategies.
“I am committed to improving access to healthcare for the uninsured. I am committed to making the necessary changes to increase enrollment and retention of eligible children in public programs.” – Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, 2008
[1] Bridget McGurk. 3.21.2005. “Utah eREP Social Program Modernization Initiative Advances Efficiency of Citizen Service Delivery” O'Keeffe & Company, Inc.
[2] Cheryl Smith & Michael Sullivan. 8.19.2009. “Governor’s Office of Economic Development to launch the Utah Health Exchange”
Project Leadership
Department of Health
Project Lead: Nathan Checketts, Assistant Medicaid Director