Federal Press Coverage

• August 26, 2010 | from Bloomberg BusinessWeek Even Before Recession, 14 Million Kids 'Underinsured': Study Even prior to the onset of the economic recession in 2008, nearly one in four American parents with health insurance reported that their coverage was so inadequate they were unable to access the medical care their children needed.
• August 23, 2010 | from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation School Nurses: Keeping Children Healthy and Ready to Learn Despite school nursing's long track record of success, "policies related to school health service vary dramatically, and half the nation's schools lack a full-time registered nurse."
• August 16, 2010 | from The Boston Globe House Democrats oppose using food stamp money to pay for child nutrition bill The Senate’s $4.5 billion child nutrition bill, a recent milestone in Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood obesity, faces opposition from some Democrats in the House because it would take funds set aside for the food stamp program.
• August 23, 2010 | from HealthDay More U.S. Teens Get Recommended Vaccines More American teenagers are getting their recommended vaccinations. In some cases the number of teens getting the shots increased 15% from 2008 to 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• August 11, 2010 | from American Medical News HHS tightens enrollment period for individual coverage for children Parents will be able to enroll their children with preexisting conditions in individual market coverage, but only at certain times of the year, according to a clarification from the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
• August 06, 2010 | from The Hill Senate bill would encourage drugs targeting rare kids' diseases A group of bipartisan senators this week introduced legislation to entice drug makers to focus more intently on cures for uncommon children's diseases.
• August 06, 2010 | from The Washington Post Senate passes child nutrition bill The Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on Thursday, a bill that provides an additional $4.5 billion over 10 years to federal child nutrition programs including school lunch.
• August 05, 2010 | from The Hill Children's hospitals lobby for fix to drug discount provision in health reform law Children's hospitals say the new healthcare reform law inadvertently denies them drug discounts worth millions of dollars a year — and they want lawmakers to fix the problem they created.
• August 03, 2010 | from The Washington Post Lincoln champions childhood nutrition If the child nutrition reauthorization bill doesn't pass and get to President Obama's desk by Sept. 30 - something that's increasingly iffy with just 20 days of legislative days left - the programs risk losing the new funding in the short term -- and possibly for good.
• August 03, 2010 | from CQ Today Child Nutrition Legislation Likely to Come to Floor Within the Week, Reid Says Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln and the panel's ranking Republican are close to an agreement that would bring legislation to reauthorize child nutrition programs to the floor this week, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday.
• August 03, 2010 | from The Georgetown Center for Children and Families Say Ahhh! Blog Bumps in the Road for Kids' Coverage In the last couple of weeks there have been reports that some insurance companies have decided they will no longer market "kids-only" policies, in response to the new requirement under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that they issue coverage to all children, even those with pre-existing health conditions.
• July 28, 2010 | from Georgetown Health Policy Institute Bumps in the Road for Kids' Coverage In the last couple of weeks there have been reports that some insurance companies have decided they will no longer market "kids-only" policies, in response to the new requirement under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that they issue coverage to all children, even those with pre-existing health conditions. What are these "kids-only" policies, and how many families will be affected if plans drop out of the market?
• July 29, 2010 | from The Hill Obama administration touts record number of insured children A record number of children have health insurance in the United States today, administration officials told a Senate panel on Thursday, even despite the recession.
• July 28, 2010 | from The Hill Reid wants child nutrition bill before recess Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said this week that Democrats are hoping to pass a child nutrition bill before lawmakers leave town for the August recess.
• July 27, 2010 | from HHS Questions and Answers on Enrollment of Children Under 19 Under the New Policy That Prohibits Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions On June 28, 2010, the Administration published the interim final regulations prohibiting new group health plans and health insurance issuers in both the group and individual markets from imposing pre-existing condition exclusions on children under 19 for the first plan year (in the individual market, policy year) beginning on or after September 23, 2010.
• July 28, 2010 | from The Hill Insurers cheer open enrollment period for covering sick kids The Obama administration clarified Tuesday evening that new rules prohibiting insurers from denying coverage of sick kids will be governed by open enrollment periods in some states.
• July 28, 2010 | from NPR Impact Of Childhood Obesity Goes Beyond Health The health effects of being overweight or obese are well documented. Extra pounds add extra risk for diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, even among children.
• July 22, 2010 | from CNN.com Baseball joins first lady in fighting kids' obesity Major League Baseball and first lady Michelle Obama are joining to fight childhood obesity. Mrs. Obama announced the new relationship at a youth baseball clinic Thursday at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles.
• July 22, 2010 | from HHS.gov HHS Allocated $88 Million for Home Visiting Program to Improve the Wellbeing of Children and Families HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $88 million in grants, provided under the Affordable Care Act, to support evidence-based home visiting programs focused on improving the wellbeing of families with young children.
• July 22, 2010 | from The Fiscal Times Kids and Dental Health: Rising Costs and Struggling State Programs a Dangerous Mix In 2009, the total dental expense for children in the U.S. was approximately $30.6 billion, one-third of all spending on dental care. Dental costs are roughly 20 percent of a child's total health care expenses, and these costs are growing quickly.
• July 19, 2010 | from Georgetown University Center for Children and Families Many Children Lose Insurance When Parents Lose Jobs Between 2000 and 2004, almost one in three kids lost coverage when their parents lost a job (311 out of every 1,000). And, the rate is much higher for low-income children (456 low-income children out of every 1,000 lost their coverage when a parent lost a job).
• July 15, 2010 | from The Hill House panel approves sweeping expansion of child nutrition programs A House panel on Thursday easily cleared the way for a lower-chamber vote on legislation to strengthen and expand child nutrition programs.
• July 15, 2010 | from The Huffington Post Saving Our Children As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, I have authored the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which addresses childhood hunger and obesity by making strong improvements to our federal child nutrition programs.
• July 02, 2010 | from United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Discusses Importance of Child Nutrition Reauthorization and WIC Programs Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today testified on the pending legislation to reform and reauthorize USDA's Child Nutrition Programs and Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.
• June 24, 2010 | from Los Angeles Times Federal healthcare overhaul to keep more young adults on parents' policies One of the first provisions of the federal healthcare overhaul — allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26 — is expected to make a big dent in the number of uninsured young people this year.
• June 24, 2010 | from Politico Michelle Obama emphasizes nutrition First lady Michelle Obama took another step in her campaign against childhood obesity Wednesday by announcing the expansion of the President's Council on Fitness and Sports to include nutrition.
• June 22, 2010 | from NPR Poor Nutrition In Kids Could Tie Obesity And Cavities Teeth riddled with cavities could point to other health problems. Among children ages 2 to 5, poor nutrition may be a common thread connecting obesity and tooth decay, a new study finds.
• June 21, 2010 | from The Huffington post Expanding the Child Health Safety Net The landmark health reform legislation represents the largest single leap towards the finish line in decades towards expanding and strengthening the child health safety net and provides the greatest expansion of health coverage to the poor through Medicaid since that program's enactment in 1965.
• June 17, 2010 | from Kaiser Health News 'Door Knockers' Help Uninsured Kids Get Coverage The Walkers/Talkers program, which was started more than a decade ago, is one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to reach children who are eligible but not enrolled in government health insurance programs - Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• June 17, 2010 | from Kaiser Health News Experts Outline Ways To Enroll Children, Adults In Medicaid Four health experts offer ideas on how states can identify and enroll the 5 million children who are uninsured but eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program – and the millions of uninsured adults who will become eligible for Medicaid in 2014 under the new health overhaul law.
• June 16, 2010 | from htrnews.com Family trumpets health-care reform benefits for kids Among the provisions in the health-care reform law, the one that hits closest to home for Sheryl and Jay Raether is a ban against a lifetime cap on insurance coverage.
• June 14, 2010 | from Allergy and Asthma Network From home to the House Rep. Carol Shea-Porter is forming the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus, an informal, bipartisan group of Members dedicated to passing legislation and improving research for those living with asthma and severe allergies, and to educating other Members about asthma and severe allergies.
• June 11, 2010 | from The Washington Post Congressman proposes $8 billion for child nutrition Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) unveiled a bill on Thursday that proposes about $8 billion in additional funding over 10 years for child nutrition programs, including school breakfast and lunch.
• June 08, 2010 | from Shorelineplus.com Dodd launches landmark series of hearings: The State of the American Child Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) will kick-off a series of hearings this week that will focus on the challenges facing our children and families and the tools they need to succeed in today's society.
• June 08, 2010 | from The Washington Post Health-care law improves insurance coverage for pregnant women and new mothers Even though pregnancy and childbirth are commonplace events, health insurance coverage and support services to keep mothers and babies healthy are often seriously deficient. The health-care overhaul greatly improves this situation.
• June 08, 2010 | from Chicago Tribune Sick children get guarantee of health coverage More than 5 million Americans under the age of 19 with a pre-existing medical condition cannot be denied coverage by insurance companies beginning as early as September under a key provision of the health care reform law.
• June 07, 2010 | from Georgetown University Center for Children and Families New Final Cost Sharing Rule Contains Notable Improvements (Hint: Save the shoeboxes for school projects) CMS issued a final rule on the premiums and cost-sharing that states can charge Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries in light of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and cost-sharing provisions relating to Native Americans included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
• June 07, 2010 | from The National Association of Children’s Hospitals Families Come to Washington to Speak to Health Reform Implementation More than 220 child patients, families and children's hospitals leaders, representing 21 states, will arrive in Washington, D.C. to share their personal health care stories with lawmakers and highlight issues specific to pediatrics that should be addressed by Congress and the Administration as health reform is implemented.
• June 07, 2010 | from The Hill Cash-strapped states press Congress for more Medicaid help States are turning up the pressure on federal lawmakers to help them pay their Medicaid bills, cautioning that they'll otherwise face a dire fiscal situation that could hurt their economic recovery.
• June 07, 2010 | from InsideHealthReform.com Lawmakers Eye Options To Pass FMAP, COBRA Measures Stripped From Tax Bill Democratic Senate staffers and state advocates signaled over the congressional recess that lawmakers still hope to pass the enhanced Medicaid payment (known as FMAP) and COBRA extension provisions that were stripped from the House-passed tax extenders bill, but said it is unclear if the measure will be reattached to the tax bill or passed separately.
• June 01, 2010 | from Georgetown University Center for Children and Families Health Reform Eases Prohibition of Enrolling State Employee Kids in CHIP The health reform legislation allows certain dependents of state employees to enroll in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• May 26, 2010 | from California Healthline Study: Millions of Kids Enrolled in Medicaid Miss Health Screenings Seventy-six percent of children enrolled in Medicaid in nine states did not receive one or more recommended medical, vision or hearing screenings in 2007, according to a study released recently by HHS' Office of the Inspector General.
• May 25, 2010 | from USA Today Budget cuts dilute children's coverage A federal law that President Obama signed early last year to expand health insurance to 4 million more low-income children has gotten off to a slow start because of budget problems in the states.
• May 25, 2010 | from The New York Times Big Gains for Young People in Health Law Most of the 13.7 million young adults who are uninsured could gain coverage when the health reform act goes into full force in 2014 - either through public programs like Medicaid or by buying private policies on competitive insurance exchanges established by the law.
• May 24, 2010 | from The Huffington Post Home Visiting Programs: Urgently Needed Help for Young Children and Families The new health reform law will help strengthen the critical web of support for the most vulnerable young children and their families.
• May 21, 2010 | from truthout.org Health Reform Bill Gives a Boost to School-Based Health Centers The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates federal grant programs to fund the expansion and support of school-based health centers.
• May 20, 2010 | from The Wall Street Journal Spending on Drugs for Kids Rose 10.8% Last Year: Medco Report Spending on drugs for kids rose 10.8% last year, the most of any age group and nearly triple the 3.7% increase for the general population, according to Medco Health Systems.
• May 19, 2010 | from Des Moines Register Tackling obesity in children will take continuing effort The recent White House report, "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation," contains some frightening information. Obesity, the report says, is estimated to cause 112,000 deaths per year in the United States.
• May 19, 2010 | from The New York Times The Battle Over Taxing Soda Cities and counties, desperate to find money to pay for schools and roads, are starting to see a soda tax as a way to raise revenue. The tax also appears to be one of the most promising ways to attack obesity, given the huge role sugary drinks play in the epidemic.
• May 14, 2010 | from The Washington Post Health legislation aims to help employees' adult children Federal workers with adult children moved another step closer to having them covered by employer-sponsored health insurance this year, instead of next, with the introduction of Senate legislation designed to help.
• May 11, 2010 | from USA Today Michelle Obama unveils plan to reverse childhood obesity trends First lady Michelle Obama unveiled a plan today to "reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity" and called for help from governments, schools and businesses as well as the families themselves.
• May 10, 2010 | from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act: Protecting Young Adults and Eliminating Burdens on Families and Businesses The Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their parents' health care plan until age 26.
• May 10, 2010 | from The Associated Press Premiums may undermine coverage guarantee for kids Starting later this year, President Barack Obama's health care law requires insurers to accept all children regardless of medical history. But the law doesn't limit what the companies can charge.
• May 06, 2010 | from The Christian Science Monitor Health care politics: Obama fast-tracks new law's coverage of adult children Raising the dependent age on family policies to 26 is a keystone of health care reform, targeting the largest pool of uninsured. It's an early test of how corporations – and voters – will react.
• May 04, 2010 | from The Associated Press States offer variety of health coverage extensions More than 30 states allow parents to extend their health insurance coverage to dependents beyond the typical cut-off ages of 19 or 22. But these are not blanket extensions. Many come tailored for that state.
• May 02, 2010 | from WCAX.com Kids suffer when parents choose between health care, bill The health of children is harmed when families are forced to choose between medical care and basic household necessities such as food, rent and utilities, a new study found.
• April 07, 2010 | from The Huffinton Post A Child Nutrition Act That Lives Up to Its Promise The "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" outlines needed reforms like supporting improvements to direct certification for school meals, expanding after-school meal programs to all 50 states, and enhancing the nutritional quality of food served in school and preschool settings, but fails to deliver the funds to make a difference.
• April 05, 2010 | from Newsobserver.com Five ways the healthcare reform will help kids Whether we like it or not healthcare reform has come to America. It's undeniable that this bill is historic and every person in this country will be affected in one way or another.
• March 31, 2010 | from Kaiser Health News States can start new Medicaid expansion Thursday Starting Thursday, states can choose to take the first steps toward the massive expansion of insurance coverage that is the recent health overhaul legislation's chief goal.
• March 31, 2010 | from The New York Times A TV Show and Congress Tackle School Lunches In Washington, where Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign continues to point a finger at the school lunch line, a Senate committee on March 24 cut by more than half a proposal by President Obama to spend a record $10 billion more on child nutrition programs over 10 years, including school food.
• March 30, 2010 | from The New York Times Insurers to Comply With Rules on Children Under pressure from the White House, health insurance companies said Tuesday that they would comply with rules to be issued soon by the Obama administration requiring them to cover children with pre-existing medical problems.
• March 26, 2010 | from Huffington Post Thanks for the New Day for America's Children We can finally hold up our heads in the company of other developed nations who afford all their citizens the right to health care. It is an especially good day for America's children and youth.
• March 22, 2010 | from Christian Science Monitor Health care reform bill 101: What does it mean for kids and families? "Wow, this new healthcare bill looks like a big deal. How is it going to affect my family?" The short answer is that healthcare reform will affect families differently, depending on their different circumstances.
• March 23, 2010 | from The Huffington Post Health Care Protection For Children: White House Scrambles To Fix Coverage Gap The Obama administration is scrambling to fix a potential problem with a much-touted benefit of its new health care law, a gap in coverage improvements for children in poor health, officials said Tuesday.
• March 11, 2010 | from Roll Call Casey: Kids Overlooked in Reform Debate Throughout health care reform, my top priority was to ensure that no child was left worse off by our efforts and that we improve health care for children. The Senate-passed bill meets this test and would improve care for millions of children.
• February 24, 2010 | from The Washington Independent White House Hopes to Expand CHIP Through 2016 While the House has proposed to scrap the popular Children's Health Insurance Program in 2014, and the Senate offered two addition years of CHIP funding (through 2015), the White House goes a step further, proposing a funded CHIP extension through 2016.
• February 24, 2010 | from CQ Today Online News USDA Secretary Pushes for More Control of Nutrition Standards in Schools As Congress prepares to take up reauthorization of child nutrition programs this spring, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is asking lawmakers for new authority to set nutritional standards for foods sold in the nation's schools.
• February 23, 2010 | from USA Today Study: 1 in 5 kids don't see dentist each year At least one in five U.S. children go without annual dental care and most states lack key policies to ensure access to cost-saving preventive treatments, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Center on the States.
• February 22, 2010 | from The Washington Post Michelle Obama asks governors to address childhood obesity First lady Michelle Obama appealed Saturday to the nation's governors to join in her initiative to reduce childhood obesity, saying years of handwringing over what has become a national crisis should give way to coordinated action by Washington and the states.
• February 22, 2010 | from Health News Obesity Among Most Common Chronic Childhood Health Issues in the U.S. Among American children, the rates of chronic childhood health issues more than doubled between 1988 and 2006.
• February 22, 2010 | from U.S. Department of Health and Human Serviecs Sebelius Awards $100 Million To 10 States To Test Innovations In Children’s Health Care Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $100 million in federal grant funds to 10 states to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.
• February 19, 2010 | from The Washington Post Poll limns provisions of a more limited health-care reform bill The children's advocacy group First Focus released poll results Thursday showing the popularity of 10 leading provisions included in the legislation that ran aground last month in the Senate.
• February 16, 2010 | from Huffington Post We Need All Hands On Deck For Children's Health Our children are no longer guaranteed a safe and healthy childhood. Not in the face of surging epidemics, placing new demands on parents and caregivers around the country. But fortunately, we are mobilizing and addressing the issue.
• February 11, 2010 | from Scripps News Service Who could oppose healthy eating for our kids? The United States is in the midst of its first and certainly most widespread obesity epidemic. Congress is considering a ban on junk food in public schools.And some, particularly Republicans, are thinking about opposing the measure? Shame on them!
• February 11, 2010 | from The New York Times A Federal Effort to Push Junk Food Out of Schools The Obama administration will begin a drive this week to expel Pepsi, French fries and Snickers bars from the nation's schools in hopes of reducing the number of children who get fat during their school years.
• February 08, 2010 | from NPR Congress Gets Credit For Boosting Kids Health Coverage According to a federal study released yesterday, about 2.6 million kids who didn't have health insurance before got help last year through government health programs like CHIP and Medicaid.
• February 05, 2010 | from Kaiser Health News Millions More Children Added To Medicaid, CHIP Rolls In 2009 About 2.6 million previously uninsured children gained coverage last year in government health programs, according to a federal study released today. The gains were due to increased need because of the recession and stepped-up recruitment efforts by some states.
• February 04, 2010 | from The Huffington Post Health Care Reform: For Our Children, Let's Finish The Race We knew that achieving health care reform would be a marathon, not a sprint. We are almost there. We cannot give up now. Not when we've come so far, not when the end is in sight.
• February 04, 2010 | from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sebelius, Vilsack Celebrate One Year Anniversary of Children’s Health Insurance Law, Highlight Campaign to Cover Kids One year after President Obama signed CHIPRA, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 2.6 million more children were served by Medicaid or CHIP at some point over the past year and released a comprehensive review of the past year's accomplishments in finding and enrolling children in health coverage.
• February 02, 2010 | from U.S Department of Health and Human Services HHS Secretary and Surgeon General Join First Lady to Announce Plans to Combat Overweight and Obesity and Support Healthy Choices First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced plans today to help Americans lead healthier lives through better nutrition, regular physical activity, and by encouraging communities to support healthy choices.
• January 20, 2010 | from The Hill Children’s health needs should be the nation’s highest priority As health reform negotiations and closed-door conversations take place, we must not forget to address the needs of our most precious resource: our children
• January 18, 2010 | from Concord Monitor Task force: Screen kids for obesity An influential advisory panel says school-aged youngsters and teens should be screened for obesity and sent to intensive behavior treatment if they need to lose weight - a move that could transform how doctors deal with overweight children.
• January 15, 2010 | from eMax Health National Survey Shows Children's Health Insurance Lacking Nearly 7 million children in the United States do not have health insurance, according to a new federal survey, and about 25 percent of children who do have health insurance have inadequate coverage.
• January 11, 2010 | from CQ Weekly - In Focus A Democratic Party Split On Children’s Health Care Henry Waxman is now on the opposite side from his usual allies in child advocacy groups on one of the most important issues affecting children in the current health care overhaul debate.
• January 03, 2010 | from The New York Times Program for Children Has Uncertain Future As Democratic Congressional leaders work to merge the House and Senate versions of major health care legislation, a big question is what they will do about the Children's Health Insurance Program, which now provides coverage to more than nine million children and pregnant women and is expected to cover more than 14 million by 2013.
• December 30, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report HHS Seeks Comments on Core Set Of Children's Health Quality Measures The Department of Health and Human Services released a core set of 24 children's health care quality measures as required by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, along with a request for public comment.
• December 21, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Similar Racial Disparities Found for Children With Medicaid or Private Plan, Report Finds A report released Dec. 17 by the Kaiser Family Foundation says that racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care are just as likely for children enrolled in Medicaid as they are for children in private insurance programs.
• December 18, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Nine States Get HHS Awards for Actions To Enroll More Children in Health Programs The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $72.6 million in “performance bonuses” to nine states that took steps to enroll more children in Medicaid and state children's health programs.
• December 17, 2009 | from Roll Call Children Deserve Special Status in Health Debate Children deserve special status in, special protections and the full attention of Congress in the health reform debate - anything less is a moral failure.
• December 17, 2009 | from HHS Press Office States Get Bonuses for Boosting Enrollment in Children's Health Coverage HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of more than $72 million to nine states for making significant progress in enrolling children in health coverage through Medicaid and improving access to children's coverage through Medicaid and the state children's health insurance program.
• December 10, 2009 | from Inside Health Casey Amendment to Fund CHIP Through 2019 Gains Steam More than 500 groups that advocate for children are backing an amendment Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) is preparing to offer to the Senate health reform bill that would fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through 2019.
• December 02, 2009 | from Philadelphia Daily News Health-care reform shouldn't hurt kids Health-care reform should not leave children at more risk than they are now.
• December 01, 2009 | from The Hill Sen. Casey: Spare CHIP Beneficiaries From Exchange Sen. Bob Casey's (D-Pa.) forthcoming amendment would amend the Senate's healthcare bill to ensure CHIP was not dissolved into the legislation's proposed health insurance exchange.
• November 17, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Health Overhaul Sparks Debate On Future Of Children's Health Program While Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has not yet unveiled his health care plan, Rockefeller persuaded the Senate Finance Committee to maintain the program, known as CHIP, through 2019 as part of health legislation the panel approved last month.
• November 16, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Lawmakers Must Ensure Costs Affordable When Debating CHIP's Future, Panelists Say Health policy researchers and state officials stressed the importance of affordability for families when considering the future of the Children's Health Insurance Program under health reform legislation.
• November 13, 2009 | from USA Today Children's hospitals object to proposed funding reductions The nation's children's hospitals are lobbying Congress to change a provision in the pending health care legislation that industry leaders say will reduce their federal funding by as much as $876 million.
• November 08, 2009 | from Examiner.com Special needs kids' parents should rejoice over health care bill's passing Removing the ability for an insurance company to deny coverage based on a "pre-existing coverage" is a huge deal for parents with special needs kids.
• November 04, 2009 | from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS Secretary Calls on States and Communities to Get Health Coverage to Uninsured Children HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today called on states and communities to join with HHS to redouble efforts to find and enroll the 5 million children who are currently eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but are not yet covered.
• November 03, 2009 | from The Washington Independent House Health Reform Bill Repeals Popular CHIP Program Under the $894 billion health reform legislation that House leaders unveiled last week, CHIP would cease to exist at the end of 2013, with kids enrolled in the program transitioning to plans on a proposed insurance exchange.
• October 29, 2009 | from U.S News and World Report 17,000 Child Deaths Linked to Lack of Insurance An estimated 17,000 children in the United States might have died unnecessarily over nearly two decades because they didn't have health insurance, according to a report from researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.
• October 13, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Health Reform Proposals Enhance Children’s Dental Care Pediatric dental care, long a concern of children's health advocates, is poised to get a major boost with each of the Democratic health reform proposals.
• October 12, 2009 | from The Associated Press Day care next frontier in fighting kids' obesity New Harvard research shows few states require that child-care providers take specific nutrition and physical activity steps considered key to keeping the under-5 crowd fit.
• October 10, 2009 | from The Associated Press New US law helps ill students keep health coverage A federal law inspired by a New Hampshire woman's courage and enacted through her mother's determination took effect Friday, sparing seriously ill or injured college students from having to choose between taking time off and keeping their health insurance.
• October 01, 2009 | from State Health Watch Medicaid programs get help in covering additional immigrant children A growing number of states are providing health coverage to legal immigrant children and pregnant women through Medicaid or other state programs, under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA).
• September 28, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Bad drug reactions in over 500,000 children More than half a million US children yearly have bad reactions or side effects from widely used medicines that require medical treatment and sometimes hospitalization, new research shows.
• September 24, 2009 | from Capitol Weekly (CA) In health care reform, don’t forget the children Members of Congress need to remember first and foremost their responsibility to finish the job of providing coverage for all our kids.
• September 16, 2009 | from Reuters Uninsured parents mean fewer checkups for kids Children whose parents lack health insurance may miss out on routine care, even when the children themselves are covered, a new study finds.
• September 16, 2009 | from Office of the Speaker of the House Pelosi Remarks at Children's Health Fund Event Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks at an event for the Children's Health Fund to raise awareness for the more than 21 million children who will benefit from health insurance reform.
• September 16, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report CMS Issues Proposed Rule on Determining FY 2009-FY 2013 CHIP Allotments, Payments The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Sept. 15 released a proposed rule that addresses methodologies and procedures for determining fiscal year 2009 through FY 2013 state allotments and payments for the children's health insurance program.
• September 15, 2009 | from Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute Twenty-three States Improve Children's Health Coverage Despite Economic Slump Twenty-three states expanded or improved children's health coverage programs this year despite a tough economic climate
• September 10, 2009 | from Georgetown University Center for Children and Families Number of Uninsured Children Drops to Lowest Level Since 1987, Outlook Bleaker for Parents and Other Adults The new Census report shows that the number of uninsured children in the United States is at the lowest level since 1987.
• September 10, 2009 | from The Philadelphia Inquirer Children are left out The national debate on health care has said nothing about children, who need reform just as much as adults do.
• September 08, 2009 | from Politico SCHIP's fate may hang in balance Democratic members of Congress and advocacy groups are alarmed at a proposal in the Senate Finance Committee to move children out of the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program when it expires in 2013 and into a new insurance exchange where they would be covered with their parents.
• September 07, 2009 | from The Boston Globe The top stakeholders in health reform In the health reform debate, there's one group of stakeholders who no one seems to be talking about, even though for them and for all of us the stakes are the highest: America's children.
• September 04, 2009 | from The Washington Post Sons of Immigrants Have High Obesity Levels, Report Finds The sons of immigrants to the United States suffer from alarmingly high levels of childhood obesity, according to a new report funded by the Foundation for Child Development.
• August 31, 2009 | from The Daily Herald (Chicago) A simple equation for good children's health The "Five, two, one and none" goals were adopted in 2006 by the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative and have been promoted by the AAP, as well as other health organizations, in an effort to combat this rising tide of obesity.
• August 27, 2009 | from U.S News and World Report U.S. Childhood Vaccine Rates Good But Could Be Better: CDC More than three-quarters of U.S. children have received the recommended vaccinations, but greater efforts are needed to reach youngsters who are not fully immunized, a U.S. government report finds.
• August 25, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Children's Advocates Fear Health Reform Could Undermine CHIP As Democratic leaders pursue their quest to provide millions of Americans with health care insurance, some advocates see an unlikely casualty of reform: youngsters now covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program whom they fear could end up with reduced benefits.
• August 15, 2009 | from The News & Observer (NC) Childhood gets no medical do-overs Health reform can build on the progress of SCHIP and Medicaid and finish the job of covering all children.
• August 13, 2009 | from CQ Poll: Americans Favor Strongest Possible, Low-Cost Children's Health Coverage The poll found that 87 percent of Americans support ensuring that all children have health care coverage, while 68 percent support providing all children with coverage even if it increases their taxes.
• August 05, 2009 | from CongressNow Rockefeller Blasts Proposed Changes to SCHIP in Health Bill Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) blasted Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) for considering changes to the Children's Health Insurance Program as part of a broader health care overhaul bill
• August 05, 2009 | from UPI 14 states beef up kids' healthcare Fourteen U.S. states opted to increase health coverage for about 250,000 children in the midst of most states' worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
• August 07, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Kaiser Report Cites Need for Reform As Recession Overwhelms Medicaid, CHIP The growth in unemployment due to the current economic recession has pushed the federally funded health care programs, like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to the limits by decreasing funding while community need rapidly expands, a report published Aug. 6 by the Kaiser Family Foundation said.
• July 24, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Enthusiasm For Medical Homes Gradually Picks Up Insurers are testing a concept called "medical home" that uses electronic records and coordinates care, and could transform the delivery of health care. Advocates say such medical homes could save consumers time and money and insurers back the idea.
• July 20, 2009 | from First Focus New Report Exposes Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Children’s Health Care A new report has found that racial and ethnic disparities in children’s health care are “extensive, pervasive, and persistent.”
• July 18, 2009 | from The New York Times Defying Slump, 13 States Insure More Children Despite budgets ravaged by the recession, at least 13 states have invested millions of dollars this year to cover 250,000 more children with subsidized government health insurance.
• July 16, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Children's Needs Should Be Considered In Developing E-Records Policy, Group Says Policymakers should consider children's health care needs in the development of an electronic health records system, according to a July 15 panel discussion hosted by the Children's Health Fund (CHF).
• July 15, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report CMS Proposes Error Rate Rules Changes To Accommodate New CHIP Requirements The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed new provisions for the rules governing how improper payments are estimated for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
• July 06, 2009 | from HHS.gov Secretary Sebelius Announces Availability of $40 Million in Grants to Help Insure More Children HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of up to $40 million in grants to help reach families whose children qualify but are not yet enrolled in state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).
• July 06, 2009 | from Reuters.com Social factors influence neighborhood asthma rates Childhood asthma is less common in neighborhoods with high economic potential and strong community vitality, new research shows.
• July 06, 2009 | from newjerseynewsroom.com New Jersey sets the standard for child health care For years, politicians in Washington debated legislation to expand health insurance coverage to more children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program. For President Obama, no debate was necessary.
• June 23, 2009 | from Health Affairs Families With Mixed Eligibility For Public Coverage: Navigating Medicaid, CHIP, And Uninsurance Medicaid and CHIP policies play a role in the high uninsurance rates that are prevalent among eligible children in families where children are eligible for different programs.
• June 19, 2009 | from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Release of $6 Billion in New CHIP Funds to Insure Children HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that $6 billion in new federal funds will be made available to states and U.S. territories for fiscal year 2009 to provide health care to millions of children across America through their Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).
• June 18, 2009 | from The Wall Street Journal Children Suffer as States Cut Health Budgets As the recession forces more hospitals and doctors to pare costs and services, the cutbacks are hitting one group of patients especially hard: children.
• June 17, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Parents Ask Lawmakers To Keep Kids In Mind During Reform Debate A group of 50 families will ask lawmakers this week to keep in mind 9 million uninsured children and many more who are underinsured when they undertake health reform this summer.
• June 15, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Insurance Reforms Should Consider Needs Of Children, Older Adults, Witnesses Say Judith Palfrey, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommended to the Senate HELP Committee that unique benefit package standards be created for children and pregnant women in health reform.
• June 11, 2009 | from Senator Olympia Snowe Snowe, Whitehouse Sponsor Legislation to Combat Childhood Lead Poisoning Legislation introduced today in the U.S. Senate would help homeowners around the country reduce the risk of childhood lead poisoning.
• June 11, 2009 | from All American Patriots Senator Bob Casey: Protect Kids in Health Care Reform As Congress begins debate on health care reform U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today introduced a Resolution (S.Res.170) calling for health care reform to benefit children and protect Medicaid coverage for the most vulnerable children
• June 11, 2009 | from The Huffington Post Snowe's Ties To Health Care Industry Raise Concern As Reform Talk Heats Up Sen. Olympia Snowe is shaping up to be the key vote on one of the most contentious issues in the forthcoming attempt to overhaul the health care system.
• June 09, 2009 | from The Associated Press Dems advance proposals to spread health coverage Democrats at both ends of the Capitol accelerated their drive to enact health care legislation on Tuesday, outlining proposals to extend coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.
• June 03, 2009 | from WBUR Childhood Stress May Cause Illness in Adults A new Harvard study shows that intense physical and mental stress in childhood can lead to health problems later in life.
• June 02, 2009 | from Bio-Medicine 17 Million U.S. Children Live More Than an Hour Away From Trauma Care More than 17 million U.S. children live more than an hour away by ground or air transportation from a life-saving pediatric trauma center, according to a new study by researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.
• June 01, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Sebelius Appoints Cindy Mann as Director Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced May 29 the appointment of Cindy Mann, director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF), to serve as director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• June 01, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Needs of Children Important to Reform, Too Many Without Coverage, Report Says The needs of children must be an important component of health reform efforts, according to a report released May 29 by the Center for Children and Families.
• May 22, 2009 | from Senator Dick Durbin Senators Durbin and Burr Introduce Bipartisan Medical Homes Act Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Medical Homes Act this week to improve health care quality by helping states implement patient-centered medical home programs under Medicaid and CHIP.
• May 20, 2009 | from Senator Chris Dodd Dodd Praises HELP Committee Passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Actpassed out of the HELP Committee by a vote of 15 to 8.
• May 18, 2009 | from Reuters Recession threatens U.S. progress in child wellbeing Hard economic times are hitting the United States' youngest citizens, threatening to roll back decades worth of gains in health, safety and education, according to a report released on Monday.
• May 15, 2009 | from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Early childhood health interventions could save billions in health costs later in life Promoting the health of young children, before five years of age, could save society up to $65 billion in future health care costs, according to an examination of childhood health conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
• May 15, 2009 | from The New York Times Bill Would Guarantee Up to 7 Paid Sick Days A long-stalled effort to guarantee American workers paid sick days takes a big step forward Monday with the introduction of legislation by Congressional Democrats.
• April 30, 2009 | from The Concord Monitor Shea-Porter introduces medical leave bill New Hampshire Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter has introduced a bill to make it easier for people to take unpaid time off to deal a medical crisis.
• April 28, 2009 | from Modern Healthcare Dodd says legislation needs to aid wellness in mothers, children Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) told reporters in Washington that infants, children and mothers have special needs that are not currently being discussed in the same context as adult care.
• April 24, 2009 | from The New York Times Seriously, What Is a Child? If one views children as national treasures — and the nation’s economic future — then it makes sense to make the health care of children the financial responsibility of society as a whole.
• April 23, 2009 | from The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities New Children's Health Law Reduces the Harmful Impact of Documentation Requirement The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) enacted in February contains several provisions to reduce the harmful impact of Medicaid’s citizenship documentation requirement, which has caused many eligible citizen children to lose or be denied coverage since its 2006 enactment.
• April 23, 2009 | from Stateside: State Coverage Initiatives CHIPRA Provides New Incentives for Enhancing Children’s Coverage States that are focused on increased CHIP enrollment and retention now have new and important financial support: the Medicaid Performance Bonus.
• March 25, 2009 | from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Is Protected For Jobless Families That Receive Boost in Unemployment Benefits The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) excludes the $25 per week increase in unemployment benefits from Medicaid and CHIP income eligibility calculations.
• February 26, 2009 | from The Washington Post Obama Proposes $634 Billion Fund For Health Care President Obama is proposing to begin a vast expansion of the U.S. health-care system by creating a $634 billion reserve fund over the next decade, launching an overhaul that most experts project will ultimately cost at least $1 trillion.
• February 26, 2009 | from The Associated Press Survey: Health care cost keeps the doctor away 53 percent of Americans in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesday said they or a family member living with them cut back on health care in one or more ways to save money in the past 12 months.
• February 16, 2009 | from American Medical News CHIP called "down payment" in reform effort The Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization that President Obama signed Feb. 4 is just the first step toward universal health coverage, asserted Obama and Senate Democratic leaders.
• February 10, 2009 | from National Cancer Institute Cancer Bulletin Health Groups Hail Increase in Federal Tobacco Taxes Both the expansion of SCHIP and the tobacco tax hike were applauded by numerous medical, health care, and tobacco control organizations, including the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).
• February 06, 2009 | from SmartBrief.com Obama asks HHS to drop directive on SCHIP enrollment restrictions President Barack Obama issued a memo addressed to the HHS secretary that seeks the withdrawal of a 2007 mandate that required states to first include 95% of children from families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level before enrolling those from higher-income families.
• February 05, 2009 | from The New York Times Obama Signs Children’s Health Insurance Bill The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans.
• February 02, 2009 | from Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Senate Votes 66-32 To Approve SCHIP Reauthorization, Expansion Bill The Senate on Thursday voted 66-32 to approve legislation (HR 2) that would reauthorize SCHIP and expand coverage to about four million additional children over the next four-and-a-half years.
• January 27, 2009 | from NPR Immigration Debate Roils Children's Health Bill Republicans are particularly outraged over something that wasn't included in the 2007 measure — repealing a five-year waiting period for the children of legal immigrants to qualify for SCHIP or Medicaid.
• January 26, 2009 | from The Associated Press Republicans oppose broader children's health bill Republican lawmakers tried to slow momentum for expanding a children's health insurance program Monday by arguing that a bill in the Senate would draw about 2.4 million children away from private insurance into government-sponsored coverage.
• January 23, 2009 | from The New York Times Building a Healthy Community, One Child at a Time I am thrilled by the prospect of better health care coverage for children. At the same time, however, I understand the concerns of critics who ask if we are just throwing more money at the larger problem: our broken health care system.
• January 21, 2009 | from The New York Times Growing Need for Medicaid Strains States Medicaid rolls are surging, by unprecedented rates in some states, as the recession tightens its grip on the economy and Americans lose their employer-sponsored health coverage along with their jobs.
• January 20, 2009 | from The New York Times Obama Will Ease Restraints on States' Health Insurance Programs for Children President-elect Barack Obama will rescind a Bush administration policy that has impeded state efforts to provide health insurance to children from low- and middle-income families, aides and advisers said Monday.
• January 16, 2009 | from Associated Press Children's health insurance bill advances A key Senate committee voted yesterday to expand a children's health insurance program to cover an additional 4 million uninsured children. The vote came one day after the House overwhelmingly supported a similar measure.
• January 15, 2009 | from Office of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley Grassley Expresses Concern Over Partisan, Flawed Children’s Health Bill A full SCHIP reauthorization will make our health care reform work more complicated, but not impossibly so.
• January 14, 2009 | from The New York Times House Votes to Expand Children’s Health Care The House on Wednesday passed a bill to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program. President Bush twice had vetoed similar legislation. Mr. Obama will probably be able to sign the bill within days of taking office on Tuesday. The Senate might take action within a week.
• January 14, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report House, Senate SCHIP Bills Seek 4.5-Year Reauthorization; Immigrant Coverage Varies Democratic leaders in the House and Senate Jan. 13 each released draft legislation that would reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program and expand coverage to an additional 4 million children.
• January 13, 2009 | from The Wall Street Journal Children's Health Bill Aids Legal Immigrants A bill renewing the Children's Health Insurance Program is expected to pass Congress easily and is being teed up to give President-elect Barack Obama an early victory. The bill is expected to lift a provision in place for more than a decade that bars legal immigrant children and pregnant women from federal health programs during their first five years in the U.S.
• January 12, 2009 | from The Washinton Times Democrats set vote to tighten health gap Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, eager to score an early session victory and to give President-elect Barack Obama a high-profile bill to sign by Inauguration Day, are set to vote this week on legislation that would give medical coverage to millions of uninsured children.
• January 08, 2009 | from Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report House Democrats Plan To Vote on Stand-Alone SCHIP Reauthorization Bill The House next week plans to vote on SCHIP expansion legislation similar to a bill that President Bush vetoed in 2007.
• January 06, 2009 | from CongressDaily SCHIP Expansion Is Candidate For Early Legislative Win House Speaker Pelosi and President-elect Obama spoke Monday about having a stand-alone bill to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program ready by Inauguration Day.
• January 05, 2009 | from CQ Today Congress Will Move Other Bills Before Jan. 20 With President-elect Barack Obama at her side, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Congress will have legislation ready for Obama to sign right after he takes the oath of office at noon on Jan.20.
• December 30, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Most States Will Lack Federal SCHIP Funds When Extension Expires in 2009, CRS Finds Most states will lack federal funds to support their children's health insurance programs when a temporary extension of funding expires in 2009, according to a Congressional Research Service report updated Dec. 19.
• December 12, 2008 | from Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Adding SCHIP, Health IT to Stimulus Package Could Help Clear Path for Health Care Reform, Sen. Baucus Says Congressional Democrats might include in an economic stimulus package a reauthorization of SCHIP, which will expire on March 31, 2009, and additional funds for health care information technology, CQ HealthBeat reports.
• November 26, 2008 | from Stateline.org States ask feds for health care help As the economy worsens, states are seeing boosts in enrollment in Medicaid and SCHIP while they struggle with their own fiscal problems. They’re asking for relief from the federal government to prevent cutting benefits and people from these programs.
• November 26, 2008 | from The Boston Globe Fewer young uninsured, more poor The number of American children without health insurance declined by about 6 percent last year, according to a new report by Families USA. More than 11 percent of children nationwide - about one in nine - still lacked health insurance in 2007.
• November 24, 2008 | from Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Congress To Address Economic Stimulus, SCHIP Early in 2009 Democratic congressional leaders in early January 2009 plan to work on several bills -- such as an economic stimulus package and legislation that would expand SCHIP -- to allow President-elect Barack Obama to sign the measures soon after he takes office on Jan. 20, 2009.
• November 12, 2008 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report SCHIP Bill Likely to Emerge Early in 2009, Followed by Medicare Bill, Rep. Stark Says House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Fortney Pete Stark (D-Calif.) Nov. 10 predicted Congress would take up legislation reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program early next year, followed by a Medicare physician payment bill that would include information technology and comparative effectiveness provisions.
• November 06, 2008 | from CQ Politics Democrats To Make Children’s Health Program a Top Priority Democrats are expected to pass a large expansion of children’s health insurance early next year, making good on a campaign promise dating to 2006.
• November 03, 2008 | from American Medical News The poorer the kids, the worse their health, study says A third of the poorest children are reported to be in less than optimal health compared with 7% of children from the wealthiest families.
• October 21, 2008 | from U.S. News and World Report Many Kids Lack Insurance, Despite Having Insured Parents More than 3 percent of U.S. children and adolescents are uninsured or underinsured at some point during any given year -- despite having at least one parent with health insurance.
• October 08, 2008 | from HealthDay News Family Income Impacts Children's Health For American children, the state they live in and their family's income and education may help determine how healthy they are, a new survey shows.
• September 15, 2008 | from Congress Daily SCHIP Advocates Look Toward Next Year With legislation expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program likely falling off the grid this year, advocates are warily training their eyes on next year with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
• September 08, 2008 | from The New York Times Facing Veto, Democrats Drop Plan for Vote on Child Bill Congressional Democrats have scrapped plans for another vote on expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, thus sparing Republicans from a politically difficult vote just weeks before elections this fall.
• September 01, 2008 | from Health Care News House Bill Would Require States to Report SCHIP Expansion Efforts Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to require states to submit annual reports on their enrollment and outreach efforts for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
• August 15, 2008 | from The Associated Press Feds: No sanctions over children's insurance Reversing itself, the Bush administration said Thursday that states for now won't be penalized for failing to install restrictions making it harder for middle-income children to participate in a federal-state health insurance program.
• August 12, 2008 | from The Hill Minority caucuses to press for two SCHIP provisions If the House brings up children’s healthcare in September, Hispanic, black and Asian members will press Speaker Nancy Pelosi to restore two controversial pro-immigrant measures.
• April 25, 2008 | from The New York Times Editorial Hurdles to Insuring Children The Bush administration is determined to frustrate state efforts to provide health insurance to middle-income children despite analyses judging its tactics as illegal and unenforceable.
• November 05, 2007 | from The Boston Globe Advocates tout rising support for child health plan Democrats and healthcare advocates are expressing increasing confidence that their emphasis on expanding children's health insurance - a measure already vetoed once by President Bush - has succeeded in putting healthcare on the national agenda.
• July 31, 2007 | from The Boston Globe New fight over more children's health aid The politically charged proposal to extend health insurance to more than 3 million poor and lower-income children nationally -- one of the most ambitious domestic health proposals to come through Congress in the last decade -- unfolded yesterday in the Senate under the shadow of a formal veto threat from President Bush.
• July 09, 2007 | from The New York Times A Battle Over Expansion of Children's Insurance The fight over a popular health insurance program for children is intensifying, with President Bush now leading efforts to block a major expansion of the program, which is a top priority for Congressional Democrats.
• March 12, 2007 | from The New York Times The Next Big Health Care Battle At a time when the nation is pondering how to provide medical coverage to some 47 million uninsured Americans, it is logical and right to start with the country’s nine million uninsured children. The Bush administration, unfortunately, is going in exactly the opposite direction
• September 02, 2010 | from InsideHealthReform.com First Focus fights call for reform repeal The children's advocacy group First Focus is urging members of the Nebraska Board of Education not to support a call for the repeal of health reform, saying the proposal's basic premise - that health reform will take money away from schools - is simply not accurate.