Public Payers News

How the ACA Increased Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP Programs

One finding from the report shows that more than 72 million individuals are currently enrolled in state Medicaid and CHIP programs.

By Vera Gruessner

Last Friday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a report covering the state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility and enrollment data for the month of February. This type of information provides relevant points for CMS when it comes to state program operations. The Medicaid and CHIP programs were analyzed across all 50 states including the ones which did not expand Medicaid coverage as established under the Affordable Care Act.

One finding from the report shows that more than 72 million individuals are currently enrolled in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. The report also found that an extra 15 million people were enrolled in the Medicaid and CHIP programs since the Affordable Care Act and the health insurance exchange came into effect in October 2013.

This shows a 26.6 percent increase month-over-month in enrollment numbers since October 2013. Clearly healthcare coverage has expanded greatly throughout the United States since the Affordable Care Act came into effect. Subsidized health plans through the health insurance exchange have also seen a significant rise in enrollment.

The report also discovered that nearly 35 million children are currently enrolled under the CHIP coverage. This shows just how important having affordable medical coverage for the nation's children is for families. Keeping children healthy and ensuring that they have full medical care access is essential for the future of this country.

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  • The report was able to show enrollment growth in Medicaid and CHIP programs among states that did and did not partake in Medicaid expansion as well as the growth from the time period that the health insurance exchange was established.

    The Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP  was first created in 1997 so that  the youth  in the United States could have healthcare coverage even if they did not qualify for Medicaid. In 2009, Congress reauthorized additional funding for the program while the Affordable Care Act also played a role in extending the future of CHIP.

    The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation reported that one out of three children in the United States are covered  by the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Starting in 1997 when the program went into effect, the number of uninsured children fell from 14 percent to only 7 percent. Today the number of uninsured children in the United States has hit an all-time low of 6 percent due to the provisions within the Affordable Care Act as well as Medicaid expansion.

    The future of state Medicaid and CHIP programs is likely to bring more healthcare coverage to low-income families due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as well as a general push to reform the healthcare industry and ensure more individuals have medical care access. However, physician shortages will need to be addressed, as they could negatively affect the opportunity of insured individuals to receive medical services.

    “There is going to be a continued push to have more people enrolled,” Delphine O'Rourke, Managing Partner of the Philadelphia office at Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, told HealthPayerIntelligence.com. “The push right now is for enrollment. The second wave is going to be: who will take care of them? You’re going to have this new population of individuals who now have access to healthcare. Who’s going to provide the care?”

    “That’s where you’re going to see a tiered system or a breakdown in the system. We already have a shortage of providers and physicians in the United States without millions of new insured patients. Who’s going to take care of them? They’re going to have access in theory but they won’t be able to get in.”

    Image Credits: Medicaid.gov