Although Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) and Medicaid programs share similar income-related eligibility requirements, these programs face challenges sharing data to streamline enrollment processes. Improved data sharing and use of available policy levers could benefit both individuals served as well as Medicaid agencies and SNAP by simplifying enrollment and administrative processes. By using SNAP data for Medicaid enrollment, Medicaid programs can enable more efficient enrollment.

This webinar explored successful practices for data coordination between SNAP and Medicaid agencies gleaned from a 50-state survey and three state case studies. A speaker from South Carolina Medicaid shared experiences streamlining enrollment and re-enrollment processes during the unwinding of continuous eligibility for Medicaid. This webinar was a product of Improving Data Coordination Between SNAP and Medicaid, a national initiative led by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) in partnership with Benefits Data Trust (BDT) with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Agenda

I. Welcome and Introduction

Speaker: Vicki Quintana, MSPH, RN, Senior Program Officer, CHCS

V. Quintana welcomed participants, provided an overview of the agenda, and introduced speakers.

II. Landscape of Medicaid Policy to Improve Food Access

Speaker: Amanda Bank, MPH, Program Associate, CHCS

A. Bank provided an overview of Medicaid policy levers to address food insecurity, including screening for food insecurity and referring to community resources, as well as supports for benefit program application/enrollment.

III. Bridging Gaps in Benefits Access: How Data Coordination Can Bolster Enrollment Across Programs and Streamline Administrative Efficiencies

Speakers: Jillian Humphries, MPA, Policy Manager and Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, J.D., Senior Policy Manager, BDT

J. Humphries provided an overview of a report series, Data Coordination at SNAP and Medicaid Agencies: A National Landscape Analysis, outlining how states can coordinate across Medicaid and SNAP programs to streamline access to benefits. L. Caldwell-McMillan discussed what Medicaid unwinding data tells us about Medicaid and SNAP data coordination.

IV. State Perspective: Streamlining and Facilitating Enrollment in South Carolina Medicaid and SNAP

Speaker: Lori Risk, MOT, Chief of Eligibility Policy, Training, and Contracts and Chris Cranford, Operations Manager, Medicaid Systems, South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

L. Risk and C. Cranford provided an overview of South Carolina’s autoenrollment and autorenewal processes, including their use of express lane eligibility after the end of continuous Medicaid enrollment post-public health emergency.

V. Q&A and Closing

Speaker: Vicki Quintana, MSPH, RN, Senior Program Officer, CHCS