With Congress moving quickly to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and substantially increase its federal funding, many hope for a broad new effort to expand health coverage to more of the nearly 9million uninsured children. At the same time, the nation’s unemployment rate is at a 16-year high, and the ongoing recession threatens the coverage of additional children and families.

To examine the potential impact of these significant developments and national health reform discussions, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) will hold a policy briefing at 9:30 a.m. Friday, January 23. At the briefing, Kaiser will release a series of new reports, including its annual 50-state survey examining changes in Medicaid/SCHIP eligibility and enrollment policies for children and parents and new survey findings on access to health coverage and barriers to care for children in low and middle income families.

The briefing will feature John G. Folkemer, Deputy Secretary, Health Care Financing, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Dr. Jay Berkelhamer, Past President of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Chair of the Academy's Access Committee; Donna Cohen Ross of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities; and Kaiser researchers Julia Paradise and Caryn Marks. The briefing will be moderated by Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and executive director of the KCMU.

WHAT:

Policy Briefing, “Update on Children’s Coverage: Role of Medicaid and SCHIP For Children and Families”

WHEN:

Friday, January 23, 2009
9:30 a.m.. – 11 a.m. ET (Registration and breakfast beginning at 9 a.m.)
Add this Event to your Outlook Calendar (Note: Event times are E.S.T.)

WHERE:

Barbara Jordan Conference Center (Kaiser Family Foundation Office)
1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC (one block west of Metro Center)

RSVP:

RSVP to Tiffany Ford at tford@kff.org or (202) 347-5270.