Medicaid & CHIP and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Preliminary Medicaid & CHIP Data Snapshot - Services through October 31, 2020

As of October 2020, over 100 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, were enrolled across each state’s Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for at least one day during the year. This data snapshot from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services examines:

1. COVID-19 Treatment, Acute Care Use, and Testing
2. Service Use Among Medicaid & CHIP Beneficiaries Under Age 19 during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
3. Services Delivered via Telehealth to Medicaid & CHIP Beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
4. Services for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Among Medicaid & CHIP Beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Highlights from the report include:

• Medicaid and CHIP covered nearly 43 million children between January and October 2020.
• The program covers three quarters of children living in poverty.
• Primary, preventive, and mental health service use declined among children under age 19 starting in March 2020.
• In the US, services delivered through telehealth spiked in April 2020 and fell from May through October among all age groups.
• Survey data indicate that racial and ethnic minority groups are experiencing higher rates of depression, substance use, and self-reported suicidal thoughts/ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Compared to prior years’, the number and rate of mental health and SUD services provided to Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries was substantially lower.

View the full snapshot.