From SAMHSA's Weekly Financing News Pulse: National Edition - September 10, 2010: On September 3, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius began the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge, a national campaign to enroll five million eligible but uninsured children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) over the next five years. HHS officials urged states to take advantage of funding and opportunities to expand eligibility under the 2009 Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). The CHIPRA and the national health care reform law provide a combined $120 million in grants to increase children’s enrollment in the health programs. HHS will provide technical assistance and targeted grants to encourage programs that make it easier to enroll children and keep them covered. The Secretary announced that 17 national organizations and a number of states had signed on to the challenge as of September 3. HHS officials first announced the challenge in February.

View the September 10 Financing News Pulse: National Edition here (PDF | 280.93 KB)