Children's Health
The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a federally funded program administered by the states that provides health coverage for American children in working families. States design their own CHIP programs and determine policies and eligibility requirements within broad federal guidelines. In 2006, CHIP provided health coverage for 6.6 million children.
Medicaid and CHIP work together to provide health coverage for children in low- and middle-income families. Still, many children do not have health coverage. Currently, more than 9 million American children are uninsured. (Medicaid and CHIP go by different names in different states. Click here for a list of program names.)
This section of our Web site offers up-to-date information on children’s health legislation, including the reauthorization of CHIP, and other topics related to children’s health.
From the Hill: Congress Passes CHIP and President Obama Signs Bill into Law! February 4 – The Senate passed CHIP by a vote of 66 to 32 on January 29, and the House followed suit, approving the bill by a vote of 290-135 on February 4. The President wasted no time, signing the bill into law the same day. Go to CHIP Reauthorization for details.
New Resources
From Families USA:
CHIPRA: The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act - A Series of Issue Briefs. In February 2009, after a protracted political fight, Congress enacted, and President Obama signed, legislation that renewed CHIP through the end of 2013 and expanded its scope. These issue briefs examine the new provisions that were included in the reauthorization and how they will affect implementation in the coming months.
Summary of Final CHIP Reauthorization Bill (February 2, 2009)
From the Center for American Progress:
Health Reform that Works for Kids discusses the critical issues that health reform must address to meet the needs of children, including how to guarantee that children’s coverage is available and affordable for all families, and whether the benefit designs of private plans will include services that are essential to children’s care. (May 2009)
From Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families:
The Last Piece of the Puzzle: Providing High-Quality, Affordable Health Coverage to All Children through National Health Reform provides a blueprint of what children and families need from health reform, including an overview of where gaps in children’s coverage remain. It also includes recommendations regarding the key challenges that must be addressed in order to complete the puzzle. (May 2009)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute:
Health Reform: Cost of Failure examines three different scenarios that could occur if the U.S. does not reform its health care system. It concludes that in the best case scenario, inaction could increase family and individual spending by at least 46 percent and nearly double government expenditures as more U.S. residents become eligible for programs such as Medicaid and CHIP. (May 2009)
From the Urban Institute:
Express Lane Eligibility and Beyond: How Automated Enrollment Can Help Eligible Children Receive Medicaid and CHIP explores how automated enrollment strategies have achieved remarkable results, dramatically increasing program participation while lowering administrative costs and reducing erroneous eligibility determinations. The paper also addresses operational details about implementing some of the strategies described in this report. (April 2009)
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