A key question for the Commission as it explores the future of children’s coverage is whether exchange plans or other sources of coverage provide sufficient benefits to meet the health needs of children now enrolled in CHIP.
Chapter 3 reviews benefits generally available in CHIP, Medicaid, exchange plans, and employer-sponsored insurance plans. The analysis finds that CHIP, Medicaid, and private coverage all include major medical benefits, such as inpatient care, physician services, and prescription drugs, but for other benefits, coverage varies. CHIP and Medicaid programs cover many services that are not always available in exchange plans. Covered benefits also vary within each source—at the state level for Medicaid and CHIP, and at the plan level for employer-sponsored insurance and exchange plans.
From: March 2015 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP