Full-Cost Buy-Ins: An Overview of State Experience

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All 50 states offer subsidized health insurance to low-income individuals through public programs such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Medicaid, and other state-designed programs. These programs provide premium subsidies to children and families with incomes below a given threshold, often on a sliding-scale basis. A less common approach, which has been taken by the five states featured in this Issue Brief, is to further expand coverage by making higher-income families eligible for unsubsidized insurance through the same programs.