Strategies to Improve Continuous Medicaid Coverage for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)

Continuous health insurance coverage is critical for ensuring access to care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Lapses in coverage for CYSHCN can result in forgone medical care, unmet health needs, and family financial hardship. Within Medicaid, approximately 10% of all enrollees experience churn, meaning they are disenrolled and re-enrolled within a short period of time. Several factors contribute to churn, including short term changes in employment status or earnings, and challenges completing the process of renewing Medicaid coverage, sometimes known as administrative burden.

This explainer provides an overview of state strategies to ensure continuous coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid and presents opportunities for Title V to promote continuous coverage for CYSHCN in particular.