1. Hawaii Covering Kids News * A special thank you to Verizon Foundation for contributing $15,000 as matching funds for our project! It will be used to help develop Phase 2 of our electronic application. * Med-QUEST recently published a new reapplication form (1100B) that customers will complete annually to continue their QUEST and Medicaid health insurance. It can be downloaded in typable PDF format from our web site at Library of Forms. 2. Study Finds Association Between WIC Participation and Preventive Health Care A study in the January 2003 issue of the American Journal of Public Health (v. 93 #1) examines the relationship between child participation in WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and the use of preventive health care services, Medicaid costs for children, and the diagnosis and treatment of common childhood illnesses. The study's authors found children enrolled in WIC are much more likely to receive preventive medical care because they are linked to the health care system. Generally it found that the higher the level of WIC participation, the greater the odds of receiving any well-child care and the recommended number of EPSDT visits. Click on this link for an abstract of the study: Child Participation in WIC: Medicaid Costs and Use of Health Care Services. 3. Health Care for Uninsured: How Much Do We Already Spend and Who Pays? Calculating the yearly costs of uncompensated care at about $35 billion, this report argues that states and communities are already paying a substantial amount to care for a large uninsured population in the least efficient way possible--after people get sick and need emergency or hospital care. The report argues that this shows that public money could better provide broader health insurance expansion. Go to http://www.kff.org/uninsured/20030212-index.cfm to download the news release, presentation slides, and report. 4. Health Care Worries in Context with Other Worries A recent Kaiser Health Poll Report found that more Americans are worried about health care costs than about losing their job, paying their rent or mortgage, losing money in the stock market, or being a victim of a terrorist attack. Analysts caution that Americans are not more concerned about health care costs than the economy, but rather that worries about health care are at the forefront of their economic concerns. Data and graphs are at The Public on Health Care Costs. 5. CHIP Enrollment Climbs During fiscal year 2002, 5.3 million children were enrolled in CHIP at some point, according to the latest figures from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. That compares with 4.6 million children in fiscal year 2001. Created in 1997 with bipartisan support in Congress, CHIP is a state and federal partnership designed to help children without health insurance, many of whom come from working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private health insurance. The CHIP law appropriated $40 billion in federal funds over ten years to improve children's access to health insurance. CHIP enrollment numbers by state can be downloaded from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services web site: SCHIP Enrollment Reports. 6. Health Insurance: Is Your Family Protected? Even when only one member of a family lacks health insurance, the rest of the family can suffer, argues George C. Eads who is a member of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance. Health Insurance Is a Family Matter