Children’s Health Insurance Program

The objective of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is to provide funds to States to enable them to maintain and expand child health assistance to uninsured, low-income children, and at a state option, low-income pregnant women and legal immigrants, primarily by three methods: (1) operating a separate CHIP program; (2) expanding eligibility for children under the State's Medicaid program; and (3) or operating both a separate CHIP and a Medicaid expansion program.
The objective of the Connecting Kids to Coverage (CKC) Outreach and Enrollment Grants is to reduce the number of uninsured children eligible for Medicaid, CHIP and insurance affordability programs who are not enrolled and improve retention of those who are already enrolled. The latest cohort of grants were authorized under Section 3004(a) of the Helping Ensure Access for Little Ones, Toddlers, and Hopeful Youth by Keeping Insurance Delivery Stable Act (referred to as the HEALTHY KIDS Act and included in Pub. L. 115-120). CMS awarded a total of $48 million to eligible entities, including states, local governments, schools, health care providers, community-based public or non-profit organizations, and Indian tribes or tribal consortiums, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations receiving funds under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.), and Indian Health Service providers. These grants support outreach strategies aimed at increasing enrollment of eligible, but not enrolled,children in Medicaid and CHIP, emphasizing outreach and enrollment activities tailored to communities where eligible children and families reside and enlisting community leaders and programs that serve eligible children and families. These grants also fund activities designed to help families understand application procedures and health coverage opportunities under Medicaid and CHIP. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also made awards of $6 million exclusively for Indian health care providers and tribal entities to conduct outreach and enrollment activities aimed at American Indians and Alaska Natives. Indian health care providers and tribal entities were permitted to apply for either or both funding opportunities as long as the work described was different in each proposal.

CHIP: States, Territories, and Commonwealths
CKC grants: The following entities are eligible to apply for the Connecting Kids to Coverage Cooperative Agreements: s: States with an approved child health plan under this title [42 U.S.C. Section1397aa et seq.];local governments; Indian tribes or tribal consortium, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations receiving funds under title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.), or Indian Health Service providers; federal health safety net organizations; national, state, local, or community-based public or nonprofit private organizations, including organizations that use community health workers or community-based doula programs; faith-based organizations or consortia, to the extent that a cooperative agreement awarded to such an entity is consistent with the requirements of Section 1955 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-65) relating to a grant award to nongovernmental entities; and/or elementary or secondary schools may apply. For eligibility requirements for the Connecting Kids to Coverage Cooperative Agreements, refer to the funding opportunity announcements (Agency Funding Opportunity Numbers: CMS-141-19-001 for the General Outreach and Enrollment Grants and CMS- 2D2-20-001 for the Outreach and Enrollment Grants Focused on Increasing the Enrollment and Retention of American Indian and Alaska Native Children in Medicaid and CHIP).

CHIP: The CMS Administrator exercises delegated authority to approve Title XXI state plans and amendments. Letters of approval will be signed by the CMS Administrator.
CKC grants: The cooperative agreements are awarded after the application has gone through a multi-phase review process that consists of at least three expert reviewers. The phases consist of screening applications, panel review of eligible applications, and leadership team review who will make the final recommendations to the CMS approving official.

CHIP: Section 2106 of the Law, specifies that a State plan is considered approved unless the Secretary notifies the State in writing, within 90 days after receipt of the plan, that the plan is disapproved (and the reasons for disapproval) or that specific additional information is needed. Informal clarification and discussion between the State and the DHHS review team is permitted and encouraged during the review period. This does not stop the "90-day clock." The 90-day review period may be stopped by formal written requests for additional information and clarification. The 90-day review period may be stopped as many times as necessary to obtain completed information necessary to disapprove or approve the plan. The 90-day period will resume when the finalized additional information is received by CMS.
CKC grants: Cooperative agreements are approved within 120 days after the application has been selected through the three-phase review process.