Unlike Medicaid, it is not an entitlement program, which means that it only ensures children as long as funds are available. Health Choice has been hailed as a national model. The Children's Defense Fund has ranked North Carolina's program as sixth best in the country. The Health Care Financing Administration, which administers the program, has also recognized North Carolina's efforts to simplify the application process. North Carolina created a simple two-page application form that is used for both Medicaid and Health Choice.
Parents can enroll their children by mail.
Once children are enrolled, they are guaranteed enrollment for 12 months. Parents receive automatic notifications by mail for re-enrollment. North Carolina is one of only 10 states to have spent its full federal allotment during the program's initial years. Other states have had problems finding and enrolling eligible children. A recent New York Times article cited some of those problems, which included a 27-page application in California and a ban on putting out notices through the public school system in Arizona.