Issue Briefs , Reports , Webinars | Jan 30, 2017

Leveraging CHIP to Protect Low-Income Children from Lead

Cindy Mann, Kinda Serafi, and Arielle Traub, Manatt Health

Despite improvements that have been made over the past several decades, lead poisoning remains a serious hazard for many children in the U.S., presenting significant risks to their health and learning.  More than 4 million families with children live in homes with high levels of lead, and approximately half a million under the age of five require treatment.  The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can provide critical financial support to states as they seek to implement cost-effective lead abatement activities to protect children.  This issue brief, developed by Manatt Health, describes the CHIP State Plan option, which does not require a waiver, and the opportunity it provides for states to make significant tangible reductions in lead exposure and improvements to children’s health.  The brief includes specific examples in case studies from Michigan and Maryland.

These issues were also discussed on a recent webinar presented by the team at Manatt Health.  Slides from this webinar are available here, and a recording can be found here.