OCTOBER 3, 1997 ................................................................................. NUMBER 62

CHILD HEALTH INSURANCE HAPPENING IN YOUR STATE?

Beginning October 1, 1997, several states have begun to implement the new State Child Heath Insurance Program (CHIP). This program allocates federal funds to states to provide health insurance for uninsured children in working families. The current budget bill allocates $24 billion to child health over five years with $4 billion of this for increased Medicaid spending on several groups of children.

The Health Care Finance Administration administer the program, also known as Title 21 of the Social Security Act, and has put this on a fast track for implementation. It requires that state plans to be submitted by June 30th in order to be funded in this fiscal year (beginning in October). A 90-day review cycle of these plans by the Federal government has been mandated, however review procedures of state plans have not been announced.

Parents need to be aware of what their individual states are planning, and who is the point of contact - as it varies from state to state. Definitions and standards of care needed to be worked out for such areas as well-baby care and well-child care and what constitutes comprehensive coverage?

A survey of 30 states by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) found several trends in states beginning to appear:

• Numerous states plan to expand affordable coverage to uninsured children by building on existing programs. Some states propose to provide coverage through expansion of Medicaid at a low family cost.
• Some states propose combining Medicaid with a new state plan.
• Some large states (those with large groups of uninsured children) have not publicly announced policies to implement the new program.
• Some states have proposed to only help some children by not being able to meet all the federal match.

Note: The CDF survey covered states that have 84% of the uninsured children in the country. Check the NPND Website (http://www.npnd.org) for a more details.

Do you know what your state is proposing for Child Health Insurance Program?

CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP) FY98 ALLOCATIONS AND STATE MATCH

Please consult the NPND Website for a complete table of numbers.

CONGRESS AT A GLANCE

• The "Conference Committee" on the HHS/ Labor/Education Appropriation Bill has held one public meeting. They continue to meet behind closed doors for discussions and to work out a compromise. The word is that they will pass a "Continuing Resolution (CR)" that will last until October 24th. This will give Congress more time to iron out the last details of this appropriation bill.

• It is reported that the "Gorton Amendment" has made no progress toward passage. It is also reported that Senator Gorton stated that he did not intend to include the Vocational Rehabilitation programs in his amendment and that he has asked to have that portion removed from the amendment.

• "Congressman Riggs" is still working to get his amendment passed.

• Mr. Goodling is still championing our interests to increase the "funding" in the House to match the funding in the Senate.

• The Social Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means committee held a hearing on the Social Security Administration's (SSA) progress in conducting "disability reviews." Subcommittee members urged SSA to continue to use all authorized funds available for conducting reviews.

SPECIAL REPORT RELEASED

The National Council on Disability released "Removing Barriers to Work: Action proposals for the 105th Congress and Beyond." The report focuses on the barriers to employment encountered by individuals with disabilities and ways to eliminate or reduce those barriers.

For a copy call (202) 272-2004 or (202) 272-2074 (TTY).

IDEA IMPLEMENTATION

The September 17th Federal Register (48924) gives the following dates, times, and locations of the public meetings designed to obtain public comment on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the statutory requirements of the IDEA Amendments of 1997.

Boston-----------------Oct 23rd (2:00-7:00 PM)

Atlanta-----------------Oct 28th (2:00-7:00 PM)

Dallas-------------------Oct 28th (2:00-7:00 PM)

Washington, DC-------Nov 4th (1:00-5:00 PM)

Denver------------------Nov 18th (2:00-7:00 PM)

San Francisco-----------Nov 21st (2:00-7:00 PM)

Chicago------------------Nov 24th (2:00-7:00 PM)

For additional information on the meetings, call Laura Black Price at (202) 205-8969 or look for additional information on the NPND website.

Editor's Note: Watch the Friday Fax and the NPND web site for information regarding NPND's response from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services clarifying the IDEA Amendments of 1997 as they pertain to the application of the Free and Appropriate Education provisions for students who have been suspended from school for 10 days or less.

Do you know who is on your state Implementation Committee? Now is the time to begin the dialogue with them regarding how your state will respond to the regulations.

MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR ETHNIC GROUPS

Ethnic minorities tend to be under represented among the recipients of community services and supports for individuals with disabilities and their families. To help address this issue the Institute on Community Integration and Research and Training Center on Residential Services in Community Living at the University of Minnesota have developed a program, " Parent Case Management for People of Color." Through training, support, and technical assistance this program empowers parents and guardians of person of color with developmental disabilities to take a leadership role in the identification and management of services that their children receive.

Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, it is a collaborative effort with Hennepin County, local leaders of the African-American and Native American communities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the National Parent Network on Disabilities. The NPND Cultural Diversity Committee provided review and comment on materials for this project. NPND is involved in the dissemination of manuals, materials, and related trainings to Parent Projects in communities of color. For further information contact Marijo McBride, Institute on Community Integration (UAP), University of Minnesota, 103 Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, (612) 624-6830 or fax at (612) 624-9344. NPND's website also has a link to the Institute.

TIME FOR THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

The Combined Federal Campaign is under way. The Friday Fax is one of the programs of NPND that is supported in part by CFC funding. If you would like to consider the National Parent Network on Disabilities, the number is 1532.

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