When a child is scheduled to leave foster care, or move to a different placement, continuity of health care coverage will be enhanced by making sure the following information is made available:

• the name of the physician where the child was last seen;
• the name of the child’s Medicaid representative;
• the location of medical records if not the actual medical records; and
• other pertinent information that will help maintain access health care services.

Assistance with enrolling a child in the Children’s State Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can ensure continuity of health care coverage for a child who will no longer be eligible for Medicaid coverage. CHIP is available to low-income families who are not eligible for Medicaid. Youth being emancipated from the foster care system are entitled to Medicaid coverage until they turn 21 as a result of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. Under this program, established under the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, states may opt to provide Medicaid coverage for young people between the ages of 18 and 21 who were in foster care on their 18^th birthday.¹

1. National Foster Care Awareness Project (NFCAP). (2000). Frequently asked questions about the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program