FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2022
Contact:
CMS Media Relations
CMS Media Inquiries
CMS Commits Over $49
Million to Reduce Uninsured Rate Among Children and Boost Medicaid
Enrollment Among Parents, Pregnant People
The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) committed a record
$49.4 million to fund organizations that can connect more eligible
children, parents, and pregnant individuals to health care coverage
through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Awardees—including state/local governments, tribal organizations,
federal health safety net organizations, non-profits, schools, and
others—will receive up to $1.5 million each for a three-year period to
reduce the number of uninsured children by advancing Medicaid/CHIP
enrollment and retention.
“No
one should be left without access to critical health care, especially
during the pandemic,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier
Becerra. “This historic funding opportunity is part of the Biden-Harris
Administration’s ongoing efforts to get as many Americans covered with
affordable, quality health coverage. We encourage grassroots
organizations and other trusted voices to help us reach and enroll some
of our hardest-to-reach populations, including children and
parents-to-be.”
“CMS
is using every tool available to expand access to coverage and care,”
said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “The Biden-Harris
Administration is committed to advancing health equity, and encourages
organizations that serve children, their parents, and pregnant
individuals in diverse and underserved communities to apply. These
organizations play a pivotal role in connecting people to coverage
since families and individuals often seek help from community
organizations they know and trust.”
Supporting
President Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the
Affordable Care Act, this notice of funding opportunity
leverages the Connecting Kids to Coverage program to continue making
health care more accessible and affordable. Funded organizations will
provide enrollment and renewal assistance to children and their
families, as well as pregnant people—a new optional target population
in this year’s award announcement.
Applicants
will be encouraged to consider a range of activities, including:
- Engaging schools and other programs serving
young people;
- Bridging racial and demographic health coverage
disparities by targeting communities with low coverage rates;
- Establishing and developing application
assistance resources to provide high-quality, reliable enrollment
and renewal services in local communities;
- Using social media to conduct virtual outreach
and enrollment assistance; and
- Using parent mentors and community health
workers to assist families with enrolling in Medicaid and CHIP,
retaining coverage, and addressing social determinants of health.
This
unprecedented funding is vital to making sure children are enrolled in
coverage, especially those who are eligible for but not yet enrolled in
Medicaid and CHIP coverage. Studies show that, of the approximately
four million children who remain uninsured, 2.3 million are eligible
for Medicaid and CHIP. Many families do not know that their children
may be eligible or understand how to enroll. Disparities also remain
particularly pronounced among specific groups. American Indian and
Alaska Native children experience the highest uninsured rate (11.8%),
for example, followed by Hispanic (11.4%) and non-Hispanic Black children
(5.9%).
In
addition, Medicaid and CHIP play a critical role by providing coverage
for over 42% of births in the nation, nearly half of which are to
Black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals. Because
Medicaid and CHIP coverage is a key step in ensuring access to
necessary prenatal care and healthy birth outcomes, this funding
opportunity is including pregnant individuals as a new target
population. Expanding the outreach target population to include
pregnant individuals will also directly lead to increased enrollment of
eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP; generally, the infants born to
individuals who are enrolled in these programs at the time of birth are
automatically deemed eligible for Medicaid and CHIP for one year.
The
Helping Ensure Access for Little Ones, Toddlers, and Hopeful Youth by
Keeping Insurance Delivery Stable Act of 2017 (HEALTHY KIDS Act) provided continued
funding for outreach and enrollment aimed at reducing the number of
children who are eligible for, but not enrolled/retained in, Medicaid
and CHIP. Since 2009, $216 million has been awarded to more than 294
community-based organizations, states, and local governments to support
the enrollment and retention of eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP.
Applications
will be accepted through March 28, 2022. For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=337485
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