The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) allows states to get federal matching funds for extending health insurance to certain immigrants who are not citizens. From August 1996 until April 1, 2009, federal law barred legal immigrants who entered the United States after August 22, 1996, from being eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage until they lawfully resided in the U.S. for five years. CHIPRA removed the 5-year bar for children and pregnant women, thereby allowing states to get the enhanced CHIP matching funds for coverage of those newly eligible immigrants.
The Room Where it Happens: Attend a State Budget Hearing
In February, Governor Evers proposed his state budget. Read our reaction here and some of our analysis here (more to come soon!). The Governor’s proposals now go to the Joint Committee on Finance (often called the Joint Finance Committee or JFC). This powerful...