Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Connecting Kids to Coverage (CKC) HEALTHY KIDS American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) 2023 Outreach and Enrollment Cooperative Agreements grantees. The Outreach and Enrollment Cooperative Agreement program provides funding to reduce the number of AI/AN children who are eligible for, but not enrolled in, Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and to improve retention of eligible children who are enrolled in the programs. Eligibility for this grant opportunity was for applicants who are Indian Health Service providers, Indian tribes, or tribal entities.

This funding will support innovative outreach strategies aimed at:

• Increasing the enrollment and retention of eligible AI/AN children, parents, and pregnant individuals in Medicaid and CHIP;
• Educating families about the availability of free or low-cost health coverage under Medicaid and CHIP;
• Identifying children likely to be eligible for these programs; and
• Assisting families with the application and renewal process during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) unwinding period.

Grantees will be using following outreach strategies:

• Partnering with tribal programs that work with children and families;
• Engaging schools and other programs serving young people in outreach, enrollment and retention activities;
• Establishing and developing application assistance resources to provide high quality, reliable Medicaid/CHIP enrollment and renewal services in local communities;
• Using social media to conduct virtual outreach and enrollment assistance; and
• Using parent mentors and community outreach workers to assist families with enrolling in Medicaid and CHIP, retaining coverage and finding resources for addressing social determinants of health.

Learn more about the grants here: https://www.insurekidsnow.gov/campaign-information/outreach-enrollment-grants/index.html