Ohio To Receive $12 Million Federal Bonus For Improving Medicaid Coverage of Uninsured Children

Ohio will receive more than a $12 million bonus for improving the Medicaid coverage of uninsured children. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) chose Ohio as one of 15 states that would receive part of a total $206 million award, which was established in a 2009 reauthorization of the children’s health insurance law to encourage states to reduce barriers to and enroll more uninsured children in Medicaid. The award amount is based on the percentage increase in enrollment a state achieves above its baseline. Ohio enrollment went up 9%, or 92,503 children, so it earned $12,376,346, CMS said.

States had to meet two sets of performance goals to qualify for funding: taking specific steps to streamline enrollment and renewal processes to make it easier for families with eligible children to gain coverage, and documenting a significant increase in the number of children enrolled in Medicaid. Other states receiving bonuses are: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington state and Wisconsin.