Diagnosing What Works for State Medicaid and CHIP Programs
Mar, 2010
Type:
ReportTopic:
Systems Assessment Diagnosing What Works for State Medicaid and CHIP Programs
Maximizing Enrollment for Kids, a $15 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) launched in June 2008 and directed by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), aims to increase enrollment and retention of eligible children into Medicaid and CHIP programs and to establish and promote best practices among states. In this first year of the Maximizing Enrollment for Kids program, NASHP collaborated with Health Management Associates (HMA) to conduct a baseline assessment of each grantee states’ policies and processes for enrolling and retaining children in coverage. The findings of these assessments provide a foundation for the work of these states over the next three years to improve enrollment of eligible children.
The assessment of each state included reviewing the state’s reports and policies, conducting onsite interviews with stakeholders and administrators in children’s health insurance programs, and reviewing published research about the impact of policies on coverage. This report summarizes the information gathered, distilling the state’s current strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in enrollment and retention of eligible children. The diagnostic assessment centers on six areas:
- Enrollment and Renewal Processes and Policies
- Interagency Coordination
- Analytic Capacity for Program Management and Decision-Making
- Client-Centered Organizational Culture
- Non-Governmental Partnerships and Outreach
Maximizing Enrollment for Kids: Results from a Diagnostic Assessment of Enrollment and Retention in Eight States