Wednesday, February 11, 2004

State Experience with Enrollment Caps in Separate SCHIP Programs
A report (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the National Academy for State Health Policy - "The State budget shortfalls of the last two years have presented a variety of challenges for SCHIP programs. States around the country have sought to cut discretionary spending and to reduce their liability for entitlement and/or non-discretionary spending. Despite their success in reducing the number of uninsured children, SCHIP programs have not been immune from these budget cuts. Unlike many other programs in which the Federal government plays a role, the SCHIP regulations were designed to provide states with considerable flexibility in tailoring programs to their individual needs. In addition to allowing states to chose from several different program designs, states were allowed to institute different eligibility levels, different levels and types of cost sharing, and different benefit packages. With the strength of the economy and the growth of state budgets in the late 1990s, this flexibility made possible the rapid expansion of SCHIP programs. As state budgets have contracted in recent years, that same flexibility has made it possible for states to implement a variety of cost cutting measures within their SCHIP programs..." See also "Tough Choices: A Policy Maker's Guide to Cost ontainment Actions Affecting Children in Medicaid and SCHIP".