May 3, 2010: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has released a new report, "New Citizenship Documentation Option for Medicaid and CHIP is Up and Running," with findings on the implementation of data matching to verify CHIP program applicants' citizenship status in several states. The report finds since its availability on January 1st, 24 states have chosen to use the data-match with the Social Security Administration's (SSA) database as fulfillment for the requirement to reduce laborious citizen documentation paperwork as outlined in the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). States report that the new data matching significantly eases the burden on applicants that are U.S. citizens who previously had to provide costly and time-consuming documentation to secure coverage.
Additional benefits from the SSA data match include streamlining Express Lane Eligibility, having the ability to verify citizenship for children determined to meet income eligibility through enrollment in other public programs. States are also pleased at the efficiency and cost savings the data match provides. Most states report match rates over 90%, higher than what they originally expected.
A new requirement from federal health reform is the use of this data matching system to verify citizenship of applicants seeking coverage in the new health exchanges opening in 2014. Early adoption of the data matching system puts states at an advantage as implementation of federal reform begins to occur.
SHARE grantee Stan Dorn has looked at using data sharing to facilitate enrollment in the health reform efforts of Massachusetts. He found that members who were identified from the Uncompensated Care Pool (UCP) and automatically enrolled in the new subsidy program, CommCare, represented more than 80 percent of the total participants. Additionally, automatic enrollment procedures lowered the per capita administrative costs of determining eligibility and enrolling members. In his issue brief, "The Secrets of Massachusetts' Success: Why 97 Percent of State Residents Have Health Coverage," Mr. Dorn suggests lessons for states on the use of data systems for maximizing participation in public coverage programs.