State Data Spotlight: Iowa Tax Information to Enroll Eligible Kids
The Iowa Department of Revenue (IDR) and the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) collaborated in 2008 in order to collect necessary information via tax forms to decide which Iowa children are uninsured yet meet the requirements to qualify for hawk-i (Iowa’s CHIP) or Medicaid.
Iowa used tax forms to determine which children had family incomes that met the Medicaid and CHIP requirements but were not enrolled in these programs. After identifying eligible kids who are not yet enrolled, DHS sends pamphlets and applications to the identified families. The families then become aware of the programs and their children’s eligibility.