Some 7.4 million children were enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 2008 - a 4-percent increase over the previous year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Congress is currently debating reauthorization of SCHIP, which is projected to expand coverage to an additional 4 million children.
"With unemployment numbers rising and the economy struggling to regain momentum, more and more American families are relying on SCHIP to ensure their children get the health coverage they need," said Acting HHS Secretary Charles Johnson (who's holding the post until the Senate confirms Tom Daschle's nomination). "It is no surprise that SCHIP enrollment went up in 2008 and we expect this trend to continue well into 2009 if the program is reauthorized."
Created in 1997, SCHIP is a state and federal partnership designed to help uninsured children. SCHIP received $40 billion in federal funds over 10 years through 2007. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 extended the program until March 31, 2009, with an appropriation of $5 billion for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009, with fiscal year 2009 funding available only through March 31, 2009.
The legislation also provided $1.6 billion in funding for states with SCHIP budget shortfalls for fiscal year 2008 and $275 million for state shortfalls through the first two quarters of fiscal year 2009.
"While more children are relying on the program, we know millions more children need healthcare coverage and that is why we need a strong SCHIP to meet the nation's growing need," said Johnson.
SCHIP targets uninsured children who live in families with incomes generally around 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($42,000 for a family of four in 2008), which is too high in most states to qualify for Medicaid, but in many cases too low to afford private coverage.