Report: Major gains in effort to enroll children in public health care programs

The report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services found that the number of children eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program fell. Meanwhile, HHS also awarded $40 million in grants for more outreach.

The Hill: HHS Seeks Further Gains In Children's Coverage
Major gains have been made in the push to get children enrolled in public health care programs, according to a new report released Thursday, just as the federal government rolled out $40 million in grants to further boost enrollment. The Health and Human Services Department said the grants will help ensure that more children who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program are actually enrolled in those programs. Half of the money will fund initiatives to improve the technology that's used for enrollment and renewal (Baker, 8/18).

Kaiser Health News' Capsules: CHIP Outreach Gets More Kids Covered
The number of children eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)  but not enrolled fell to 4.3 million in 2009 from 4.7 million the prior year, according to a report out today. The drop is significant because it occurred even as the number of children eligible for the programs rose by 3 million as a result of the economic downturn (Galewitz, 8/18).

Politico Pro: HHS Awards $40 Million For Medicaid, CHIP
HHS announced $40 million in a new round of outreach grants Thursday to enroll kids in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, using dollars provided by the CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2009. "These grants are specifically designed to target the greatest need and greatest opportunity" for boosting coverage, Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey & Certification, said on a conference call with reporters. Grants were made to 39 state agencies, community health centers, school-based organizations and nonprofits in 23 states (Feder, 8/18).

Modern Healthcare: $40 Million To Boost CHIP, Medicaid Enrollment
Thirty-nine state agencies, community health centers, school-based organizations and not-for-profit groups in 23 states have received a total of $40 million to help the nation's children enroll in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, HHS announced Thursday. The two-year grants are authorized under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 and range in amounts from $200,000 to $2.5 million. Ten grantees will receive about $20 million of the funds for technology to coordinate enrollment and renewal, while another $10 million will be sent to 14 grantees to reach kids who are mostly likely to experience gaps in coverage (Zigmond, 8/18).