Research Report Nine in Ten: Using the Tax System to Enroll Eligible, Uninsured Children into Medicaid and SCHIP
Stan Dorn, Bowen Garrett, Cynthia Perry, Lisa Clemans-Cope, Aaron Lucas
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In 2004, 89.4 percent of uninsured children who qualified for Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program lived in families who filed federal income tax forms. This substantially exceeds the proportion of uninsured but eligible children who can be reached through many other outreach strategies. Federal lawmakers could cover uninsured children in these families by: (a) changing federal income tax forms so parents can identify their uninsured children and request coverage; (b) investing in information technology allowing data exchange between states and the Internal Revenue Service; and (c) letting states cover uninsured children if tax information shows they qualify.
Research and Evidence Health Policy Family and Financial Well-Being Tax and Income Supports
Expertise Taxes and the Economy Health Care Coverage, Costs, and Access Modeling Federal and State Health System Reform Reproductive and Maternal Health Aging, Medicare, and Long-Term Care Early Childhood
Tags Federal health care reform Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program  State health care reform State Children's Health Insurance Program Children's health and development Individual taxes Health insurance Children and youth