Summary of NASHP’s 2015 Survey of State CHIP Directors

Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2015, unless Congress acts. Many state CHIP directors have begun to consider the steps needed should funding remain uncertain or expire. In January 2015, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) surveyed CHIP directors to better understand recent program changes along with state budgeting and planning given the uncertainty of continued federal funding.
Key take-aways from the CHIP directors’ responses to the survey collected in mid-to-late January include:

• States are assuming federal CHIP funding will continue, but most officials reported they have started to consider potential scenarios if federal funding is not extended.
• If Congress delays action beyond the spring, some officials will need to take steps to begin closing their programs, whether it is discontinuing new enrollment or beginning to notify current enrollees in separate CHIP programs that the program will end.
• There are budget concerns if children enrolled in CHIP need to transfer to Medicaid without the enhanced CHIP match, which would require additional state funds.
• States will need time to take the multiple steps needed to transition enrollees out of CHIP. A qualitative and quantitative summary of the results follows. NASHP agreed to keep all state specific information confidential.

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Click to Download the Full Summary	487.6 KB
Qualitative Findings	85.62 KB
Quantitative Findings	467.73 KB