Children’s Health Coverage: What You Need To Know

Approximately 8 million children with low to moderate incomes are covered under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and 39 million children are covered under Medicaid. (Most children who have coverage have private coverage). The number of uninsured children has decreased by half since the enactment of CHIP in 1997; however, with a new coverage landscape and CHIP funding set to expire in October 2015, questions arise about the current state and future of children’s health care coverage.

What is CHIP and why was it created? What has been the experience with children’s coverage through CHIP and Medicaid? What are some of the key policy and financing questions around children’s health coverage looking forward?

Robin Rudowitz, associate director for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, provided an overview of the CHIP program.

Joan Alker, executive director at the Center for Children and Families and research associate professor at Georgetown University, highlighted some of the key state and federal policy questions around children’s health coverage.

Robert Stewart, analyst at the Congressional Budget Office, described the mechanics of CHIP financing.

Cathy Caldwell, director of the Bureau of Children’s Health Insurance in the Alabama Department of Public Health, provided an on-the-ground perspective of the role CHIP has played in her state.

Ed Howard of the Alliance and Diane Rowland of Kaiser moderated.

Contact: Beeta Rasouli (202)789-2300 beetarasouli@allhealth.org

Follow the briefing on Twitter: #kidscoverage

Transcript

Full Transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Speaker Presentations

Robin Rudowitz Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Joan Alker Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Robert Stewart Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Cathy Caldwell Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Event Details

Agenda (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Speaker Biographies (Adobe Acrobat PDF)