Washington, DC -- U.S. Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain) today announced the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $79,000 to Ohio to develop new strategies to enroll children in a federal and state health insurance program for children.  Brown, the top Democrat on the Health and Environment Subcommittee, said new Census Bureau data show the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has made historic gains in reducing the number of uninsured children.

    "Today's data from the Census Bureau means there are more healthy children in Ohio.  It's a simple fact that children are more vulnerable to illness and injury.  A child's ear infection left untreated can cause deafness.  Strep throat left untreated can damage a child's heart.  The flu left untreated can be fatal," Brown said.

    The decrease in uninsured children is largely attributed to the success of the CHIP program.  The program, created in 1997 with Brown's support, provides health insurance to eligible children under 18 in working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to afford private family coverage.

    "In Lorain County and throughout northeast Ohio, there are still too many working parents who don't know their children may be eligible for health insurance -- and we must reach them.  We owe it to all children to give them a healthy start in life by making sure they and their families have access to quality, affordable health care," he added.

    The Department of Health and Human Services will invest $700,000 in grants to states and rural communities to enhance CHIP enrollment to continue closing the gap.  Ohio has been chosen to receive $79,000 for their innovate strategies to enroll kids and help them stay enrolled in CHIP and Medicaid.  Ohio's funds will be used to eliminate burdensome income verification requirements for families applying for coverage.

    Yesterday, the Census Bureau released new national data on health insurance coverage for 1999.  This new data indicates a significant decrease in the number of people without health insurance nationwide -- a reversal of a 12 year trend.  Uninsured Americans decreased from 44.3 to 42.6 million in 1999.  Two out of three of the newly insured are children.  The rate of uninsured children dropped from 15.4 to 13.9 percent.