Children’s Coverage Beyond CHIP: Policy Considerations for States

Although federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was recently extended through FFY2017, it is unclear if CHIP will continue beyond that date. As a result, children may need to transition to other sources of coverage in the future. This two-year funding extension can provide state and federal policymakers with an opportunity to address important policy issues to ensure children continue to receive affordable and appropriate health care. Through this webinar, NASHP is bringing together a national expert and officials from three different state health and insurance agencies to surface issues and questions about the future of children’s coverage.
Some of the questions that will be explored on the webinar include:

• What lessons from CHIP in terms of benefits and cost sharing could help inform efforts to reform other sources of coverage to better support pediatric health and developmental needs?
• How can states ensure that coverage is affordable for families with children that transition from CHIP to exchange or other private market coverage? What policy options are available to prevent children from losing coverage due to affordability issues?
• What are some of the possible approaches to address benefit or service gaps that children moving from CHIP to other sources of coverage might experience, particularly in terms of accessing dental coverage, habilitative services and for children with special health care needs?
• What strategies can states implement to promote access to care and adequate pediatric provider networks, particularly for those in need of specialty care?

Anne Schwartz, Executive Director of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), will kick off the discussion by sharing some of the key policy considerations the Commission has identified to maintaining accessible and comprehensive coverage for children in the future. Then Trish Riley, NASHP’s Executive Director will facilitate a discussion with three state officials—a CHIP director, an exchange official from a state operating a state-based marketplace, and a state insurance department representative from a state using the federally-facilitated marketplace—to explore challenges and potential policy solutions to ensuring there is appropriate, affordable pediatric and family coverage in the future.
Moderator:  Trish Riley, Executive Director, NASHP
Background Presenter:  Anne Schwartz, Executive Director, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC)
State Speakers:

• Carrie Banahan, Executive Director, Office of Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange (kynect)
• Sharon Carte, Executive Director, West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program
• Rich Robleto, Deputy Commissioner—Life & Health, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation