Express Lane Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP Coverage
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) included many provisions designed to give States the tools they need to effectively enroll eligible children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). One of the key tools that CHIPRA created is the Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) option. ELE provides States with important new avenues to ensure that children eligible for Medicaid or CHIP have a fast and simplified process for having their eligibility determined or renewed.
Express Lane Eligibility permits States to rely on findings, for things like income, household size, or other factors of eligibility from another program designated as an Express Lane agency to facilitate enrollment in health coverage. Express Lane agencies may include: SNAP, School Lunch, TANF, Head Start, and WIC among others. A State may also use information from State income tax data to identify children in families that might qualify and so that families do not have to submit income information.
For more information about how States are implementing Express Lane Eligibility, click on the States below. Learn more about the requirements for Express Lane Eligibility (PDF 329.22 KB).
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Pending in Medicaid: HI
Pending in CHIP: AZ, NJ, PA
Note: SNAP=Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps
NSLP = National School Lunch Program
Additional Resources
Building an Express Lane Eligibility Initiative: A Roadmap of Key Decisions for States (PDF 269.72 KB), Kaiser Family Foundation and The Children’s Partnership, January 2010
Express Lane Eligibility and Beyond: How Automated Enrollment Can Help Children Receive Medicaid and CHIP (PDF 2.51 MB), Urban Institute, April 2009
Express Lane Eligibility Toolkit , Children’s Partnership
“Why Express Lane Eligibility Makes Sense for States and Low-Income Families.” Children’s Partnership & Kaiser Family Foundation Report, October 2009.