Arizona is again allowing enrollment in the state's Children's Health Insurance Program known as KidsCare, six years after enrollment was frozen, according to an announcement Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Beginning Tuesday, July 26, the state will end the enrollment freeze and begin accepting new applications, according to CMS.
The state estimates that approximately 30,000 to 40,000 children will be eligible. These are newborns through age 18 in families with income above 133 percent and up to and including 200 percent, of the federal poverty level.
Children will be able to access services beginning September 1, 2016.
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The state initiated an enrollment freeze on Jan. 1, 2010, due to a budget concerns. The move forced families that had been covered under CHIP to move onto Medicaid, enroll in the federal healthcare marketplace or go uninsured, experts said.
With the lifting of the freeze, all states now provide CHIP coverage, according to Vikki Wachino, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services.
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"Today's approval is a step forward for the health of Arizona children in low-income families," Wachino said. "With Arizona's decision, all states in the nation now provide CHIP coverage to any eligible child who applies. More children in Arizona will have access to coverage early in their lives, which helps kids grow into healthy adults and provides parents with the peace of mind that comes from their children having affordable coverage."
Having coverage through CHIP improves children's health and increases their ability to succeed in school, CMS said. Recent research on Medicaid and CHIP shows that these gains are long lasting, with children who gained coverage experiencing better health, higher educational attainment, and higher earnings as adults.
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CHIP covers a broad set of health benefits for children, including dental care, that are often out of reach for many families who cannot afford other health coverage. This is especially true for children with special health care needs, as CHIP programs cover physical, occupational, and speech and language therapies.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse