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WASHINGTON – About 2.6 million more children have been served by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program since President Barack Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act a year ago.
“One of Obama’s first actions as president has proven to be a tremendous success,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Now we must build on our accomplishments.”
Sebelius and HHS Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have released “The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act One Year Later: Connecting Kids to Coverage,” which reviews the past year’s accomplishments in finding and enrolling children in health coverage.
According to the report, states increased enrollment in the two programs in part because of boosts in federal support provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA temporarily increased federal matching funds for state Medicaid programs during the recession, and the president’s budget proposes extending this increase for an additional six months.
Sebelius has also highlighted “The Secretary’s Challenge: Connecting Kids to Coverage,” a five-year campaign that will challenge federal officials, governors, mayors, community organizations, tribal leaders and faith-based organizations to build on this success and enroll the nearly 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.
Vilsack and Sebelius plan to work with state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) to collaborate with state Medicaid and CHIP programs to share data and identify uninsured children who are potentially eligible for coverage through Medicaid or CHIP.
“We must make every effort to break down barriers so that the American people can better access the federal benefits that they qualify for,” said Vilsack. “The partnership we (have announced) will bring new cooperation between HHS and USDA so that families who qualify for food assistance can better access affordable health insurance for their children.”
