ABSTRACT
CHIP has proven remarkably effective in enrolling kids covering almost eight million over the course of 2009 and projected to reach 11-12 million by 2016. It has also been a successful experiment: a stable compromise between an entitlement and a block grant that made possible much of its success politically and as a program. This history can provide lessons useful for the ongoing children’s health program as well as Medicaid and health policy more broadly. With these lessons or “take aways” there are some disclaimers and caveats. CHIP is a small and atypical program and, so far, quite limited in the scope of its activities, so that any “lessons” should take these facts into account. At the same time, these lessons are more about approaches to or ways of “framing” policies or tasks and, like an epigram or a parable, may bring useful insights or fresh perspectives to policy making or particular tasks.
