This brief highlights key findings from the SHARE-sponsored project led by David Idala, Director of Medicaid Policy Studies at The Hilltop Institute (University of Maryland, Baltimore County).  The project evaluated the implementation of Maryland's Kids First initiative, through which the state aimed to identify and enroll uninsured children who were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage.  The goel of the Hilltop evaluation was to glean lessons for not just Maryland but also for other states considering similar outreach and enrollment efforts.  The brief describes the factors that facilitated Kids First as well as the key challenges that Maryland faced as it implemented the initiative.

This SHARE brief, from Urban Institute Senior Fellow Stan Dorn, details findings from an analysis of Louisiana's landmark used of automated Medicaid enrollment via Express Lane Eligibility (ELE), a strategy authorized by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA).  Under this initiative Louisiana automatically enrolled children into Medicaid based on data matches indicating eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Dorn and his co-authors analyze the impact of ELE on several outcomes including enrollment, coverage, administrative costs, and administrative efficiency.