Some Medicaid Organizing Strategies One of the hidden stories of welfare reform is the unexpected and steep drop in the number of families participating in the Medicaid program. In addition, while most children in low-income working households can qualify for coverage, their parents are often not eligible either for Medicaid or CHIP and are at high risk of being uninsured. Organizing to enroll currently eligible individuals and expand Medicaid coverage to the uninsured can help reverse these trends. By capitalizing on these opportunities, community groups can engage a variety of low-income constituents.
Community groups can help children who are now eligible for coverage become enrolled.
In addition, parents of the uninsured children who may be the target of outreach campaigns will often be uninsured themselves and interested in fighting for expanded coverage for adults. This issue of Organizing reviews the opportunity, and looks at what some groups have done to expand access to health coverage in their states. Many, many thanks for Cindy Mann with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for her extensive assistance with this issue.