What is the Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (HIPP) Program?
The Health Insurance Premium Payment (HIPP) program is a Medicaid program that may pay for the cost of your private health insurance premiums, when it is found to be cost-effective. If you or someone else in your family is on Medicaid or eligible for Medicaid, and health insurance is available to you through an employer or a private plan, the HIPP Program will determine if it would be cheaper to pay for the health insurance premiums instead of having Medicaid pay for all the medical bills. The HIPP Program is advantageous to the Department of Medical Assistance (DMA) and to the taxpayer because it enables the Medicaid agency to shift some of the costs of care to liable third parties. Providers of medical care benefit from the HIPP program because insurance payments for the cost of care are usually more than what Medicaid would pay. HIPP has potential significance for families with minor children under age 19 who qualify for Medicaid but whose parents have access to private insurance. I
