Q&A: Medicaid CHIP

Q. What is Medicaid CHIP?

A. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides comprehensive benefits to children. Since states have flexibility to design their own program within federal guidelines, benefits vary by state and by the type of CHIP program. Medicaid Expansion CHIP programs provide the standard Medicaid benefit package, including Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment services, which include all medically necessary services like mental health and dental services.

There is a great deal of attention to Medicaid/CHIP programs and mental health services. In March 2016, the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Final Rule for Medicaid and CHIP was published. The term parity means that the access to services for mental health or substance abuse disorders will be on par with (equal to) the medical services provided.

CMS produced a fact sheet on the status of mental health parity with a history of the evolution of efforts to include substance abuse services in a more organized way.

For more information, see Discharge Planning Guide: Tools for Compliance, Fourth Edition.

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