Save Keiki Care The fifty-percent state funding for Keiki Care was suspended effective 10/31/08. HMSA will continue the program until 12/31/08 and advocates are also seeking other funding sources. The next Save Keiki Care meeting is 11/25/08 and details are on the calendar section of our web site. Please join us for this important event to lend your voice and support. Notes: Senator Josh Green is sponsoring the meeting, however it is not a hearing (no testimony but a discussion about Hawai`i continuing its Keiki Care program). More details about the program, including a fact sheet in PDF format, are on our Keiki Care web page. 1. Hawaii: Data Updates a. Hospital Emergency Department Data for 2000-2006 show the number of insured kids has increased from 2000-2006, however visits by uninsured children and youths have declined from 5.25% to 3.79%. A complete report by age group, county, and gender is available in PDF format on our data page. b. Insured v. Uninsured Newborns Data Research conducted by the Hawaii Health Information Corporation shows a decrease in the annual number of uninsured newborns from an average of 520 (1995-1999) to an average of 396 (2000-2007). Recently, there were 532 uninsured newborns in 2006 and 454 uninsured newborns in 2007 representing only 2.8% and 2.4% of newborns respectively. Data are available by island and geographic areas in PDF format on our data page. 2. National: Senator Baucus' Call to Action Health Reform 2009 Senator Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released a plan called “Call to Action: Health Reform 2009” on November 12, 2008. The document outlines his vision for how to move forward on health reform and ensure high-quality coverage for all Americans. Implications for Medicaid, CHIP, and Children. The Baucus proposal is designed to provide a roadmap for reform rather than a detailed legislative proposal. As such, while the effort signals a strong and welcome commitment to move forward with broad-based health reform it is premature to evaluate fully its implications. One aspect that is particularly clear, however, is the decision consistent with the general design of the Obama plan to build on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of providing affordable coverage to all Americans. These vital programs serve as a cornerstone of the country's health care system, and the Baucus plan would maintain and strengthen them as part of national health reform. Senator Baucus assumes that much if not all of the cost of these improvements to public programs would be borne by the federal government not the states, although it does not settle on specific financing mechanisms. Expanding CHIP Coverage. The Baucus plan proposes a notable expansion of CHIP by creating a new requirement that all states cover children at least to 250 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). As of October 2008, twenty-six states have enacted eligibility levels at or above 250 percent of the FPL. * States currently below 250 percent of the FPL. The plan would require all states that have not yet expanded coverage to 250 percent of the FPL to do so. If they wanted to expand further up the income scale than 250 percent of the FPL, they would have the option to do so, with federal matching funds. * States already at or above 250 percent of the FPL. States that already cover children at higher income levels would be allowed to continue to do so with federal matching funds. Possible changes to CHIP financing. The plan acknowledges that CHIP's capped financing structure can cause states to cut back or freeze enrollment and that this is a potential problem in a world in which everyone must enroll in coverage. It suggests that changes will be made to CHIP's financing structure and policies to address this issue, as well as the increased need for funds created by expansions in coverage for children. [Center for Children and Families, 11/08] 3. Oregon: Uninsured Kids Have Employed Parent One in nine Oregon children lacks health coverage and most uninsured children in the state have an employed parent Census Bureau figures show. "These children are in working families," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a national advocacy group for affordable health care coverage, which released a report based on the new data Tuesday. Nearly 88 percent of uninsured Oregon children come from families where at least one parent works, the census data show. Two-thirds live in households where at least one parent works full-time, year-round. Oregon's rate of uninsured children is 11.7 percent for 2005-07, the most recent period for which data are available. That's unchanged from 2003-05--and slightly higher than the national average of 11.1 percent. The Census Bureau uses three-year averages because they are more reliable statistically than year-to-year comparisons. The number of uninsured is expected to rise during the current economic recession as employers cut jobs and trim worker benefits. Both President-elect Barack Obama and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski have set broader health coverage for children as a priority. Most uninsured children live in low-income families. Under the federally subsidized State Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, Oregon's Medicaid plan covers children in families with incomes up to about $39,000 a year for a family of four. CHIP is due to expire at the end of March and its extension and possible expansion will be one of the first high-profile issues to come before the next Congress. Oregon ranks 18th-highest among states in its rate of uninsured children. State health officials conduct their own survey of uninsured Oregonians every two years. The most recent available figures show that 12.6 percent of children under age 19 lacked health insurance in 2006. State and federal figures vary slightly because of technical differences in sampling and the question about lack of coverage. [Don Colburn, The Oregonian, 11/11/08]