Hauoli Makahiki Hou...We look forward partnering with you for another successful year covering more kids! 1. Health and the Federal Budget: A Controversial Medicaid Provision The Congressional budget conference agreement that passed the Senate and House in December contains a little-noticed provision that would require all citizens applying for Medicaid to produce a passport or a birth certificate to prove they are U.S. citizens. The new rule also would apply to all citizens throughout the country currently receiving Medicaid when they seek to renew their Medicaid eligibility. The requirement will take effect 1 July 2006 if the House approves the bill, which is scheduled for a vote on 1 February 2006. Two new Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analyses examine this provision that would not only increase Medicaid's administrative costs, but also create barriers for eligible beneficiaries. Go to New Requirement for Birth Certificates or Passports Could Threaten Medicaid Coverage for more details. 2. Hawaii Law Gives Children in Grandparents' Care Better Access to Health Care A caregiver consent law was passed unanimously by the last legislative session. It ensures health care will be available and accessible to children in the care of grandparents and other caregivers. "In the past," said Rep. Maile Shimabukuro, "it was sometimes very difficult for grandparents or other caregivers to get medical or dental care for these children because they were not the parents or the legal guardians." Caregivers can now authorize health care for these children if they have an affidavit of caregiver consent. A PDF file with easy to understand information can be downloaded at Act 208 Relating to Caregiver Consent. 3. Getting California's Kids Covered * There is a growing movement among California counties to get all of the state's children enrolled in public and private health insurance programs. These Children's Health Initiatives (CHIs) serve as a single point of entry to enrolling kids in Medi-Cal, Healthy Families (California's Children's Health Insurance Program), and Healthy Kids (a low-cost vision, dental and health insurance product). Healthy Kids covers children who don't qualify for publicly-funded programs and whose family income does not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Children's health care providers received welcome news today with the announcement by The California Endowment that it was awarding $7.5 million in grants to local CHIs in eighteen counties across California, including nearly $1 million for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz. In all, the grants will provide sufficient funding to cover nearly 8,000 children across the state with health care coverage. More details are available from Cover California's Kids which is a public education campaign supported by health care providers, business groups, teachers, parents, faith-based organizations, labor, and children's advocates and funded by The California Endowment. * As part of an effort to highlight good news in his budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would propose $72 million to enroll 300,000 children who are eligible for public health insurance but not yet signed up. The additional money would go to finding and enrolling children in either Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. It would also be aimed at reducing the dropout rate of children served by both programs. An estimated 400,000 children are eligible for government insurance but haven't enrolled. Schwarzenegger's administration believes these proposals could help sign up 300,000 of those. 4. More Louisiana Children Covered by Health Insurance 01/04/06, KLFY News, Baton Rouge: A survey taken before Hurricane Katrina shows the number of uninsured children in Louisiana declined to far lower than the national average. The Louisiana State University Public Policy Research Lab survey found 7.6 percent of Louisiana's youngsters birth to age 19 were uninsured, down from 11 percent identified in a similar Louisiana State University survey conducted in 2003. The drop translates into about 50,000 children now with health insurance who didn't have it two years ago. The Kaiser Family Foundation says the national average of uninsured children is 12 percent. Louisiana's 7 percent rating puts it in the top ten of states with the lowest uninsured rate. State officials say Louisiana's aggressive program to find and enroll more children in the government funded Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) contributed to the improvement in the ranks of children with health insurance. 5. Pennsylvania Also Increasing Enrollment Governor Rendell said that state government is supporting Pennsylvania's families. Among the 2005 highlights mentioned by the governor was that 4,200 children were added to Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), enabling parents to take advantage of free health insurance for their children.