Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are vital healthcare safety nets in the United States, providing coverage to millions of individuals and families. Each month, every state, including the District of Columbia, reports data on eligibility and enrollment activity for these crucial programs. This data offers essential insights into the reach and impact of Medicaid and CHIP across the nation. For those seeking detailed information, the complete dataset is accessible on Data.Medicaid.gov.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently launched the monthly Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Operations and Enrollment Snapshot. This streamlined report delivers up-to-date and retrospective data at both the national and state levels. It encompasses Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and enrollment operations, alongside enrollment figures for the Health Insurance Marketplace and Basic Health Program. This consolidated report simplifies the previously released monthly reports, offering a more efficient overview.
In October 2024, 79,308,002 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP across the 50 states and the District of Columbia that provided enrollment data.
Specifically, within this total:
- 72,058,701 people were enrolled in Medicaid.
- 7,249,301 people were enrolled in CHIP.
Children represent a significant portion of this enrollment. In October 2024, 37,616,104 children were enrolled in CHIP or were children enrolled within the Medicaid program in the reporting states. This figure accounts for 47.4% of the total Medicaid and CHIP program enrollment, highlighting the programs’ critical role in providing healthcare access to children.
The data presented reflects point-in-time counts of total program enrollment as of the last day of October 2024. These figures include individuals eligible for comprehensive benefits and exclude those with limited benefit coverage, such as emergency Medicaid or family planning-only coverage. It is important to note that the definition of “child” may vary slightly from state to state, based on each state’s Medicaid or CHIP state plan.
Furthermore, while CMS collects enrollment data through various systems like SEDS, data alignment may vary due to methodological differences. For instance, previous SEDS reports may show different CHIP enrollment numbers because they represent cumulative enrollment throughout the year rather than a point-in-time count. For more detailed annual enrollment data, refer to the CHIP Reports and Evaluations page.
In conclusion, the October 2024 Medicaid and CHIP enrollment data underscores the substantial number of people relying on these programs for healthcare coverage. The detailed monthly snapshots and datasets provided by CMS are invaluable resources for understanding the evolving landscape of public healthcare enrollment in the United States.
