1. Hawaii Covering Kids Outreach and News a. Look for our booth at these events (details are on our calendar): * September 26, 27, and 28 (partnering with CMS): Senior Fair at Blaisdell Exhibition Hall * October 5: Children and Youth Day at the State Capitol b. Kahuku Local Project's recent media outreach campaign was featured in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on 19 September 2003. Helen Altonn's article titled "Health insurance free for some kids" highlights their enrollment efforts that helped a family with four children obtain QUEST health insurance. It is online at http://starbulletin.com/2003/09/19/news/index10.html. 2. Brief on Medicaid and CHIP Available Covering Kids & Families issued a brief titled "Maintaining the Gains: The Importance of Preserving Coverage in Medicaid and SCHIP." It examines why it is important to maintain the gains that have been made over the past several years and build on the improvements in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Making enrollment in CHIP and Medicaid easier by expanding outreach efforts, coordinating outreach with programs such as the school lunch program, and simplifying applications has allowed more families to enroll in these programs. Some of the studies cited in the brief show that public health insurance matters for children and families because it: * Promotes Access to Care: Previously uninsured children who become enrolled in Medicaid have fewer unmet needs and fewer delays in getting needed care. * Increases Use of Necessary and Appropriate Care: Medicaid reduces the use of emergency rooms and reduces the rate of preventable hospitalizations. * Promotes Health and Improves Health Outcomes: Medicaid expansions have been associated with reductions in infant mortality rates. "Maintaining the Gains: The Importance of Preserving Coverage in Medicaid and SCHIP" can be downloaded at http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/resources/index.php?InfoCenterID=177 3. Children's Insurance Coverage and Service Use Improve Using data from the soon to be available 2002 National Survey of America's Families, Genevieve Kenney, Jennifer Haley, and Alexandra Tebay show that the number of uninsured children under age 19 fell from 9.6 to 7.8 million between 1999 and 2002. Particularly noteworthy, the uninsurance rate among low-income children declined by nearly six percentage points. Further, uninsurance rates among black and Hispanic children declined by more than four percentage points each. Beyond improvements in coverage, receipt of well-child care, office visits, and dental care by low-income children increased by 3.5 percentage points, 4.5 percentage points and 2.1 percentage points, respectively. Despite these improvements, the data show that nationwide more than 4 million children appear eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but are not enrolled. The report is available at http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?NavMenuID=24&template=/TaggedContent/ViewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=8496 4. 2003 State-by-State Medicaid Fact Sheets Available The National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions and the American Academy of Pediatrics have made available one-page, state-specific fact sheets about children and Medicaid. The fact sheets are available for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and for the Nation. They are intended for use by policy makers, researchers, educators, and others in their efforts to understand the importance of the Medicaid program for children. Some of the national data Medicaid facts available include: * Over 30% of United States children are enrolled in Medicaid. * More than half (55%) of all Medicaid enrollees across the country (24.2 million) are children. * It costs Medicaid just $1,590 per year on average for each Medicaid eligible child compared to the average cost per adult Medicaid enrollee of $6,153. The fact sheets are available at http://www.childrenshospitals.net/Template.cfm?Section=Fact_Sheets&CONTENTID=2661&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm.