Ariz. lifts CHIP enrollment freeze

Arizona has lifted its freeze on new enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on July 25 that enrollment in the program, which includes dental care, will begin on July 26. Access to service starts September 1. Enrollment had been frozen for several years, according to CMS.

Arizona estimates that 30,000 to 40,000 children will be eligible for coverage in the state's program, called KidsCare.

CHIP is a joint federal-state program that finances health insurance for more than 8 million children. Since the program's inception in 1997, the percentage of uninsured children nationwide has decreased by half, from 13.9% in 1997 to 6.6% in the first three months of 2014, according to an earlier report.