Abstract
Objective
To understand why families enroll in and disenroll from Children's Health Insurance
Program (CHIP), their experience with the CHIP application and renewal process, and
the insurance coverage of their children after disenrolling.
Methods
We conducted a large household telephone survey in 2012 of CHIP enrollees and disenrollees
in 10 states. We used survey responses to assess the perceptions and experiences of
families with the CHIP application and renewal process. In addition, we combined the
survey data with CHIP/Medicaid administrative data to analyze coverage outcomes of
children after disenrolling.
Results
A large majority of recent CHIP enrollees had positive impressions of the application
process; 89% found the process very or somewhat easy, and 90% of those receiving assistance
found it very helpful. Families had similarly favorable impressions of the renewal
process, including those recently disenrolling from CHIP. After disenrolling, children
were far more likely to gain Medicaid coverage (49%) than private insurance (18%),
while a sizable percentage were uninsured (32%). The likelihood of becoming uninsured
was especially high among 18- and 19-year-olds (62%), who lost CHIP coverage due to
their age.
Conclusions
Satisfaction with the CHIP application and renewal process is high among those with
recent coverage, consistent with efforts by many states to simplify these processes
for families. Medicaid is a critical source of coverage for those leaving CHIP, a
role that may only increase as states expanding Medicaid through the Affordable Care
Act create a new coverage option for older teens losing CHIP eligibility.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 22,
2015
Received:
November 14,
2014
Footnotes
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
