Minnesota CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program

All children covered through Medical Assistance receive full EPSDT benefits — the most comprehensive children's health benefit in U.S. public programs. EPSDT requires states to cover any medically necessary service for children under 21, regardless of whether the state plan covers that service for adults.

Most states operate CHIP as a separate program with a distinct application. Minnesota took a different path: it uses federal CHIP Title XXI funding to extend MinnesotaCare to children above the MA income limit, keeping the administrative process unified. This means families submit one application and the system determines the right program automatically — reducing the administrative churn that causes children to lose coverage as family income fluctuates.

The practical effect for families: a child who gains or loses coverage as a parent's income rises or falls moves between MA and MinnesotaCare within the same system, rather than losing coverage entirely during a transition period.

Apply online at mn.gov/dhs/health-care/apply using a LoginMN account, by phone through Health Care Consumer Support at 800-657-3672 (651-297-3862 in the Twin Cities metro), or at your county social services office. A single application covers both Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare for children. Applications are accepted year-round — there is no enrollment period for public programs. MNsure.org remains available for families who want an unsubsidized private plan instead.

If a child's coverage was terminated during the post-pandemic unwinding period and the family believes the child is still eligible, reapply. Minnesota's continuous coverage period for children extended through mid-2024, and some terminations during that period were procedural rather than based on actual ineligibility.

CHIP — the Children's Health Insurance Program — is a federal-state partnership that covers children in families whose income is too high for Medicaid but too low to afford private insurance. Congress created CHIP in 1997 under Title XXI of the Social Security Act. Like Medicaid, CHIP is jointly funded by the federal government and each state, and each state administers its own program.

CHIP serves children up to age 19 (some states cover to 21 for children in foster care). It is not available to adults — CHIP is specifically designed to address the coverage gap for children in working families. Nationally, CHIP covers approximately 7 million children, according to CMS data.