1. Families Get Help to Maintain Health Insurance Despite Layoffs HMSA today announced its board of directors approved a $50 million program called the "September 11th Member Protection Program" to help preserve health insurance for HMSA members. There are two components: relief to HMSA members affected by the crisis and a special health coverage allowance for local employers. Members affected by the economic crisis may call a special HMSA hotline at 948-6309 on Oahu and 1-800-643-3083 from the Neighbor Islands for more information. 2. National Governors Association Selects Lynn Fallin Note: This is from October's "Connections" published by Good Beginnings Alliance. Lynn is a major partner and active supporter of Hawaii Covering Kids. The Office of the Governor announces Lynn N. Fallin, Special Assistant on Children and Families in the Office of the Governor, will be a fellow in the inaugural class of the National Governors Association and Zero to Three State Early Childhood Policy Leadership Forum. Lynn is one of fourteen fellows selected from 93 applications representing 45 states and the District of Columbia. Fellows represent elite leaders in early childhood policy in the country. Over the next year and a half, the fellows will enhance their leadership skills, network with national experts, and develop individual plans to affect change at the program and policy level in their respective states. The fellows will each be given a stipend to support their plans. Ms. Fallin has extensive experience working in both policy and administrative leadership positions in Hawaii and nationally in the area of children and families. She has served in the cabinet under three Governors in two states-Hawaii and Oregon. Governor Benjamin Cayetano who nominated Lynn stated, "The selection honors Lynn as being one of the foremost leaders in the field in the entire country. It is a true reflection of her knowledge, skills and commitment to Hawaii's children and their families. The state of Hawaii will benefit from her participation in this prestigious program." 3. Room to Grow: Promoting Child Development Through Medicaid and CHIP This Commonwealth Fund report argues that states could use Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the largest combined source of child health financing in the United States, to serve a larger role in delivering child development services to children under age 3. Recommendations include states establishing eligibility rules and enrollment procedures that ensure children's access to care at the earliest possible time, defining covered program benefits to include preventive health care related to child development, and incorporating financial incentives in provider compensation arrangements to reward the furnishing of developmental services. 4. The Impact of Health Insurance on Children's Dental Visits and Expenditures An analysis of 1996 data found that children enrolled in Medicaid received less dental care than children covered by private insurance, but more than children without any health insurance. More information is available at: Journal of American Dental Association (Vol 132, No 8, 1137-1145). 5. Eligibility Under CHIP States have expanded eligibility for children substantially in response to CHIP from 121 percent to 206 percent of the poverty level. This study analyzed associations between income eligibility criteria under the CHIP and state characteristics. States with lower pre-CHIP eligibility thresholds expanded coverage the most, suggesting that states may be coming closer together in their health insurance policies for children.