Issue Brief

1115 Ways to Waive Medicaid and SCHIP Rules
June 13, 2002

Author

Jennifer Ryan

Summary

This issue brief explores the history and context of the Section 1115 Medicaid waiver authority, discusses the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) initiative under way in the Bush administration, and considers some of the potential impacts that HIFA could have on state budgets and access to health care for low-income families. Finally, it considers the future of Section 1115 waivers as a vehicle for modifying Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Related Materials

See also the entry for the related Forum Session.

In addition, more recent information is available in "Shaping Medicaid and SCHIP through Waivers: The Fundamentals" (Background Paper No. 64, July 22, 2008) and "Medicaid and SCHIP Waivers" (The Basics, July 30, 2008).