Express Lane Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP Coverage

The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) included many provisions designed to give States the tools they need to effectively enroll eligible children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). One of the key tools that CHIPRA created is the Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) option. ELE provides States with important new avenues to ensure that children eligible for Medicaid or CHIP have a fast and simplified process for having their eligibility determined or renewed.

Express Lane Eligibility permits States to rely on findings, for things like income, household size, or other factors of eligibility from another program designated as an Express Lane agency (ELA) to facilitate enrollment in health coverage. Express Lane agencies may include: SNAP, School Lunch, TANF, Head Start, and WIC among others. A State may also use information from State income tax data to identify children in families that might qualify and so that families do not have to submit income information.

For more information about how States are implementing Express Lane Eligibility, click on the States below. Learn more about the requirements for Express Lane Eligibility.

State	CHIP	Medicaid	ELE Agency