About 430,000 children who are enrolled in Medicaid are at risk of losing coverage, according to Carolyn Myers, spokesperson for the children’s advocacy organization Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. They can enroll in CHIP if they lose coverage but run the risk of being lost in the shuffle, she said.
“Our concern is that cliff, because, for us, one child without health insurance is too many,” Myers said. “There’s a lot of things that can be done now. Like I said, it’s a good thing that the administration is committed to taking that 12-month runway, but another thing they could do is ensure there is continuous eligibility.”
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children has asked the state government to extend the continuous enrollment for an additional year for children between 4 and 21 to bridge potential gaps.
“That will protect children from losing health insurance, even if temporarily, while providing peace of mind for parents and lightening the administrative burden on caseworkers,” Myers said.