States get bonuses for boosting enrollment for uninsured children in Medicaid

Missouri left out

HHS press releases

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today awarded $206 million to 15 states for making significant progress in enrolling uninsured children in Medicaid. This year’s bonuses are more than double the $75 million awarded to ten states last year.

“Today’s announcement highlights the ongoing and committed efforts by states to improve access to health coverage programs and take the aggressive steps necessary to enroll eligible children,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Their actions reflect President Obama’s serious commitment to assuring that our country’s children get the health care they need. These performance bonuses demonstrate our support for the effective strategies these states have undertaken.”

Funding for the “performance bonuses” was included in the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization (CHIPRA) legislation signed into law by President Obama in February 2009. The CHIPRA established two sets of performance goals that states must meet to qualify for a bonus – taking specific steps to streamline their enrollment and renewal processes to make it easier for families with eligible children to gain coverage and documenting a significant increase in the number of children enrolled in Medicaid.

States receiving bonus awards today include: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Washington state and Wisconsin. A complete list of state award amounts is included below. Awards vary by state according to a formula set out in CHIPRA but total more than $200 million this fiscal year.

States that received performance bonuses last year were able to extend benefits to children who otherwise would have been without health coverage.

CHIPRA set two types of performance goals that states must meet to qualify for a bonus. States must have adopted at least five program features—like providing a guarantee of 12 months of continuous coverage, using a joint application for both Medicaid and CHIP and streamlining procedures for renewing a child’s coverage—that are known to encourage enrollment and retention of eligible children. States must also be able to document significant increases in Medicaid enrollment among children during the year that are above and beyond what would have been expected, even with the economic recession. States with increases of more than 10 percent above this baseline qualify for a higher award amount.

CHIPRA included a series of provisions and additional funding to help states cover more children. A boost in Medicaid reimbursement rates authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) also provided relief to states with suffering economies, enabling them to extend care to eligible children. These increased Medicaid matching funds are available through June 30, 2011.

“We are pleased to be able to work in partnership with states as they continue to improve their Medicaid and CHIP programs and make them more accessible for families,” said Cindy Mann, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and director of the Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey & Certification (CMCS). “The increase in both the number of states receiving awards and the amount distributed is particularly encouraging given the difficult economic times states are facing,”

State award amounts today are (in millions):

Alabama $54,965,407

Alaska $4,408,789

Colorado $13,671,043

Illinois $14,962,171

Iowa $6,760,901

Kansas $2,578,099

Louisiana $3,555,853

Maryland $10,549,086

Michigan $9,268,552

New Jersey $8,788,959

New Mexico $8,533,431

Ohio $12,376,346

Oregon $15,055,255

Washington $17,607,725

Wisconsin $23,076,127

Total $206,157,744

For more information about connecting eligible children to health coverage, visit www.insurekidsnow.gov

More like this story

JCLifer 2 years, 4 months ago

The feds want everyone dependent on the government so bad they will give bonuses to get more people signed up? Is this wrong or what?

How about giving bonuses instead to states that get more jobs and get more people working so they don't have to pay more welfare?

This country is so wrong-headed.

bitingmytongue 2 years, 4 months ago

So now the Feds are spending more of my money to entice the states to spend more of my money. Where does it end...

JCsleeper 2 years, 4 months ago

And when the states cannot afford the extra casesloads (Can they afford them now?) after these awards are depleted, they'll have to reduce caseloads - again. Remember the Medicaid reductions in MO a few years ago? Giveth and taketh back. Long term government dependency, what a cruel trick.

jeffcitygirl 2 years, 4 months ago

Not sure how I feel about bonuses, but we are talking CHILDREN here, not adults. SCHIP is a kids only program. As a country we should WANT all children, who are the most vulnerable, helpless and precious of us all, covered and able to easily obtain health care. It's in our best interest as a society to make sure kids are protected, healthy, and educated. The children really ARE our future, and in the land of abundance and wealth, it would be a disgrace to have kids suffer because their either can't get it together or because of circumstances in life do not have affordable health care options.

bluesfan13 2 years, 4 months ago

Missouri's MC+ covers "children" under the age of 19.

bluesfan13 2 years, 4 months ago

And if Missouri made pot legal, we would have saved the expense of arresting and prosecuting 20,000 cases in 2009, what's your point?

Now you're trying to say "if we'd only change the laws to THIS, we could spend even more..."? It's bad enough the way you stretch reality to begin with, but now you're just making stuff up entirely.

The highest age listing I could find for eligibility was up to age 21. I think you're confusing MCHCP's eligibility with this.

jeffcitygirl 2 years, 4 months ago

Not to mention the increased cost of health care when uninsured kids are drug to the ER for something like the flu b/c doctors refuse to see them b/c the parent's can't pay.

I see both sides of the bonus debate. There has to be some incentive to the states to get these kids covered, but it does seem uncomfortable in theory to "reward" higher public assistance rolls. Think of the bigger picture though, I'd rather my tax money be spent this way than given to other countries or on some ridiculous and frivilous research project.

malmark 2 years, 4 months ago

Folks, it looks like the majority of these bonuses are paid out to states who increased the level of participation in the state programs that are already there. All these kids are already eligible for many of these programs but they have not been enrolled for whatever reason, most likely because they have slipped through the net or whoever is responsible for them has not enrolled them. All the governemnt is doing is commending the states that have made an effort to enroll these kids in the existing programs. True there were some extra provisions and extra funding thrown in to CHIPRA to help cover more children but it's still up to the individual states and the people responsible for these children to help get the kids who are eligible covered.

JCLifer 2 years, 4 months ago

How about the government stops providing incentives to encourage people to have more children, expecially people who cannot afford to have them.

If there wasn't any support available, and having children would become a huge personal burden on parents, maybe they would think twice before having more and more.

i like kids, but when we already have millions of them in our country that nobody wants, why should we be encouraging folks to have more by paying to support them?

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