Arizona and Florida lawmakers saw trouble ahead for children in 2023, with states slated — as the covid-19 pandemic waned — to resume disenrolling ineligible people from Medicaid. Health Brief is a coproduction of The Washington Post and KFF Health News. So, legislators in both states voted to expand a safety net known as the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which covers those 18 and younger in families that earn too much for Medicaid.
Florida Gov. (R) and Arizona Gov. (D) , giving their state Medicaid agencies the green light to apply to federal regulators to raise the family income limit for CHIP eligibility.
But while Arizona’s plan hewed to , such as keeping eligible children enrolled in CHIP even with unpaid premiums, Florida’s proposal ignored those coverage protections; the state has from CHIP for unpaid premiums since the rule banning such disenrollments took effect Jan. 1. Clearly, there is a divide, said , deputy director of KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
“It simply may be between the policies of the Trump administration and the Biden administration.” These differences are also evident in the context of the 2024 presidential election. Former president has suggested he is open to cutting federal assistance programs if elected to a second term, while the Biden administration has taken steps to make it easier for low-income Americans to keep their health coverage.
The flexibility for states to design different CHIP programs is.