Keep Kids Covered Act Extends Medicaid Continuity

Summary#

The Keep Kids Covered Act would amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act, which cover Medicaid and CHIP, and amend the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Its stated goal is to provide continuous eligibility for certain children in those programs. It has been introduced and referred to committee; it is not law, and passage is uncertain.

  • States would have to keep children enrolled in Medicaid until age 6, or until they leave the state.
  • For children ages 6 through 18, the bill would change the continuous-eligibility period from 12 months to 24 months.
  • Certain former foster youth enrolled in Medicaid would remain eligible until age 26, or until they leave the state.
  • Deemed-newborn eligibility under Medicaid and CHIP would extend to age 6. A child enrolled in CHIP could move to Medicaid during that period if eligible for full Medicaid benefits.
  • States would have to obtain updated contact information at least once a year for people enrolled continuously for more than 12 months, and tell them they are enrolled and how long their continuous-eligibility period lasts.
  • The bill would set different timing for applying an existing coverage-continuity provision to former foster youth: from January 1, 2023, for those who turn 18 on or after that date; for other affected youth, 180 days after enactment.

The supplied bill text gives some current periods as one year or 12 months, but the parent laws were not supplied, so I could not verify those provisions against current law.

What it means for you#

  • Children and families: Once a child is found eligible, the state would have to maintain eligibility for the applicable period, even if circumstances change. The bill does not itself create a new application or appeal process.
  • Families with children under 6: Medicaid coverage would continue until the child turns 6 or leaves the state. Deemed-newborn eligibility under Medicaid and CHIP would also last to age 6.
  • Children ages 6–18: Medicaid continuous eligibility would last 24 months. The bill changes the period; it does not set a new benefit amount.
  • Former foster youth: Those eligible for Medicaid under the specified former-foster-youth category would remain eligible until age 26 or until they leave the state.
  • States: State plans would have to provide these periods of continuous eligibility and set up the annual contact-information and notice process. The bill does not specify how states must carry out that process.

Money#

No publicly available information.

  • The bill gives no cost estimate and does not appropriate a specific amount of money.
  • States would have new coverage and administrative duties, but the bill gives no estimate of staffing or other costs.

What is unclear#

  • The supplied materials do not include the full current Medicaid, CHIP, or SUPPORT Act provisions, so the bill’s full interaction with existing rules cannot be verified.
  • The bill does not explain what “applicable” continuous-eligibility period means for CHIP in every case.
  • It does not set detailed rules for collecting contact information, handling people who cannot be reached, or correcting inaccurate information.
  • It does not say how the new coverage periods would interact with other eligibility rules or programs.
  • The bill gives effective dates, but no implementation plan or cost estimates.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the bill is that longer eligibility periods may reduce interruptions in coverage when a child’s circumstances change.
  • Keeping coverage in place through key childhood years could make it easier for families to maintain access to care.
  • The annual contact and notice requirement could help enrollees know they remain covered and when their eligibility period ends.

Case against#

  • Longer eligibility periods could mean public programs continue covering some people whose circumstances would otherwise change their eligibility; the bill provides no estimate of the added cost.
  • States would have to maintain coverage and create a contact-and-notice process, but the bill does not provide funding or detailed implementation rules.
  • The bill does not explain how the CHIP period will work in every case or how these rules fit with other eligibility requirements.