1. Kokua Line Article June Watanabe kindly printed this information in her Honolulu Star-Bulletin column on 1 July: Medical care for kids After reading the June 23 "Kokua Line" explaining what Hawaii's eligibility requirements are for Medicaid, Barbara Luksch, project director for Hawaii Covering Kids, said she wanted to let readers know that the qualifications for QUEST and Medicaid Fee-for-Service are different for children and youth under 19. Hawaii Covering Kids conducts outreach and enrollment for the two free health insurance programs offered by the state and federal governments. There is no asset test for those under 19, Luksch said, and there are higher income limits (in 2003 it is $3,528 a month for a family of four, plus $602 for each additional person). Also, legal immigrants who have been in the country less than five years are eligible. Luksch says you can get more information and applications by going to the web site www.coveringkids.com or by calling Aloha United Way's hotline at 211. 2. Covering Kids & Families Retention Report In late June, the Covering Kids & Families Campaign issued a report titled "Retaining Eligible Children and Families in Medicaid and SCHIP: What We Know So Far." This report, prepared by research firm Lake Snell Perry & Associates, highlights the new focus for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) outreach--retention of families and children in these health insurance programs. In the years following the creation of CHIP, states focused their efforts on enrollment by engaging in activities that raised awareness about their programs and encouraged families to apply. Many states are now making changes in how they communicate with families about renewals. Topics include opportunities for outreach, communication ideas for retention, communication ideas to help enrollees, communication ideas to help eligibility workers, and the role of the media. The report can be downloaded in PDF format: Covering Kids & Families Action Center. 3. Report on Child Well-Being Indicators Released The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics released a report "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being." It is a compilation of statistics collected from 20 federal agencies on 25 key indicators of children's health. Key health insurance data are: * In 2001, 88% of children had health insurance at some point during the year, maintaining the all-time high established in 2000. * The number of children who had no health insurance at any time during 2001 was 8.5 million (12% of all children) which was similar to 2000. * The proportion of children covered by private health insurance decreased from 74% in 1987 to 66% in 1994, then increased to 70% in 1999, but dropped to 68% in 2001. During the same period, the proportion of children covered by government health insurance grew from 19% in 1987 to a high of 27% in 1993. Government health insurance decreased until 1999 and then began to climb again to 26% in 2001. * Overall rates of health insurance are about the same by child's age. However, the type of health insurance does vary by the age of the child: government-provided insurance decreases but private health insurance increases with age. To download the report, go to ChildStats.Gov. 4. 2003 Kids Count Data Book Released The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released the 2003 Kids Count Data Book. This data book contains statistics on the status of children in the United States on a national and state by state level. The report states there has been a "nationwide improvement on eight of 10 indicators of child well-being." There are still wide variations among states along several indicators. Overall, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah, and New Jersey rank the highest for children and Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia are the lowest. Some of the ranked indicators include low birth weight, infant mortality, and children in poverty. The 2003 Kids Count Data book can be ordered free of charge or downloaded from the internet. For more information, go to Kids Count 2003 Data Book Online.