# What the Medicaid Program Improvement Act Does

This bill is about making sure Medicaid has accurate address information for the people it serves. Right now, when someone's address changes, Medicaid doesn't always find out quickly or reliably. This can cause real problems—people might miss important mail about their coverage, lose benefits they're entitled to, or have trouble getting medical care because their records are out of date. This bill requires states to regularly check and update address information using trustworthy data sources starting January 1, 2026.

The bill affects Medicaid and CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program), which together cover millions of low-income Americans and children. States will need to set up a system to regularly pull address information from reliable sources—things like the U.S. Postal Service's address change database or other verified records—and then update their files when someone moves. When someone's address changes, the state has to act on that information promptly. This applies to all 50 states and Washington D.C., but not U.S. territories.

There's also a requirement for managed care organizations (private insurance companies that handle Medicaid for many states) to share address information they receive directly from patients with the state. If someone tells their insurance company they've moved, that company now has to pass that information along to the state's Medicaid program. The goal is straightforward: keep Medicaid's records current so people don't slip through the cracks when their circumstances change. For most people on Medicaid, this should mean fewer problems with their coverage and better access to the benefits they qualify for.

Medicaid Program Improvement Act

Miller-Meeks, Mariannette

Medicaid Program Improvement ActThis bill provides statutory authority for the requirement that state Medicaid programs and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have a process in place to obtain updated addresses for enrollees. It also requires contracted managed care plans to report addresses that have been directly verified by enrollees to states.