New Reports on Medicaid and Children's Health Coverage

The Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) issued a series of reports on trends in children's health coverage, both as it stands currently and as future expansions may be needed. To see the full list of reports and to download, go to: http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu012309pkg.cfm. A transcript, video and podcast of the January 23 briefing is available at: http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=3103.

Prevent Blindness E-Newsletter Published

Prevent Blindness America published an e-newsletter today that includes an update on our federal advocacy efforts. To view the e-newsletter on-line, go to:
http://pba.convio.net/site/MessageViewer/?em_id=6021.0&dlv_id=9985. To subscribe to our E-news, register on our website: www.preventblindness.org.

New whitehouse.gov website

On January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama took the oath of office. On the same day, a new www.whitehouse.gov website was launched. The whitehouse.gov website is an interactive tool with information on the President's agenda, a blog, a link to watch the weekly video address on-line and many more resources for individuals to stay updated on the changes taking place in America.

Health Provisions in Economic Stimulus Plan

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an $825 billion economic recovery package this week (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/business/16webstimulus.html?_r=1). The package includes increases in federal spending and aid to states for Medicaid costs.
The plan won praise from officials at the state level (http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=369338).

SCHIP Legislation This Week

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) today (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011302790.html). The House bill will extend coverage to an additional 4.1 million children. The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to debate a similar bill on January 15 (http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/baucus-introduces-schip-bill-sets-markup-2009-01-13.html), and the full Senate could vote on the bill before the end of the month. The Senate bill would extend coverage to an additional 3.9 million children.

State Children's Health Insurance Program

Legislation to expand and reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is on the Congressional agenda for next week. Reauthorization of SCHIP must be addressed early in the 111th Congress as the SCHIP extension passed by Congress in 2007 expires on March 31, 2009. Prevent Blindness America joined with other vision advocacy organizations to send letters to House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership and members and Senate Finance Committee leadership and members requesting that eye and vision care be fully recognized and included in the SCHIP reauthorization legislation that the Committees will consider in 2009. Because states across the country are facing serious budget shortfalls and pressures, they are considering reductions to their Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Prevent Blindness America and the vision community are concerned that eye and vision care is not an assured benefit under SCHIP and will fall victim to any cuts made in the program. It is our goal to make eye and vision care a permanent provision in SCHIP.