1. Hawaii Covering Kids in the News There were two recent articles about our new grant--check them out online! Hotline to help uninsured kids Groups push to cover uninsured children to take care of their medical necessities by Helen Altonn, 9 June 2002, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin New health care plan announced for children without medical insurance by The Garden Island Staff, 10 June 2002 2. Passive Renewal Examined in CHIP A study in the most recent issue of "Health Care Financing Review" examines passive renewals in CHIP. The study finds a significantly lower percentage of children lose health insurance when states require parents to periodically verify their children's eligibility. Passive renewal is a policy that does not require parents to take steps to prove that their children are still eligible for CHIP. The study examined the effects of renewal policies in four states: Florida, Kansas, New York, and Oregon. Only five percent of children in Florida CHIP, a state with passive renewal policies, fell off the rolls at renewal, as compared to one-third to one-half of children in Kansas, Oregon, and New York, states with active renewal policies. The study also found that up to one-quarter of the children who dropped from CHIP programs in Oregon, Kansas, and New York at the time they were required to renew returned within two months. To read the report, go to Experience in Florida SCHIP May Provide Lessons for Other States' Re-Enrollment Requirements. 3. Medicaid and Immigrant Children Washington advocates are hopeful that the Senate Finance Committee will include in the welfare bill provisions giving states the option to provide Medicaid/CHIP to lawfully present pregnant women and children, known as the Immigrant Children's Health and Improvement Act (ICHIA). If it is not included in the Chairman's bill when the committee meets, Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) is expected to offer it as an amendment. 4. New Reports from Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured a. "Enrolling Children and Families in Health Coverage: The Promise of Doing More" is a fifty state survey of enrollment simplification and renewal procedural reforms. It shows that states continue to take steps to transform the Medicaid program from its origins as a welfare-based program into something resembling a more traditional health insurance program. b. "Reaching Uninsured Children Through Medicaid: If You Build It Right, They Will Come" analyzes enrollment data of recent years and draws on state experiences to outline the key strategies that will lead to successful enrollment in public health insurance programs. It also finds that improving enrollment in Medicaid drives improved overall enrollment into a state's public coverage programs. These reports and additional related publications are available on the Commission's web page titled