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Understanding SCHIP: The State Children's Health Insurance Program - January 2009
For many individuals with disabilities contemplating a return to work, the question of continued medical coverage is a pressing issue. While SSI recipients returning to work are able to continue receiving Medicaid coverage for themselves in most states, what about their children? What if they find a job, which pays too much for their children to continue on Medicaid, but which does not itself provide health insurance? For these individuals, the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) may provide a critically important option for health care coverage.
The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 created SCHIP, by adding a new Title 21 to the Social Security Act. Initially, many had referred to it as the Child Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. However, pursuant to Section 704 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, the Federal government is prohibited from using the terms Child Health Insurance Program or CHIP. Therefore, we will use the term SCHIP. Final regulations implementing SCHIP became effective on June 23, 2000. The regulations add very little to the Title 21 requirements and are designed primarily to guide the States in obtaining reimbursement under the program.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers SCHIP, has a very helpful website on this program. To access this website go to: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/schip.asp. This website contains all information on SCHIP developed by CMS that summarizes interpretive guidance about the program, contains copies of informational letters sent to the States about the program, information about State implementation of SCHIP, and links to other helpful web sites.
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