SCHIP covers over 5 million children nationwide.

At the time of enactment, the Congress appropriated nearly $40 billion over 10 years to provide insurance coverage for children. Funding became available on October 1, 1997. States have used this grant money to expand Medicaid, develop a new program or expand an existing program that provides health insurance, or use a combination of the two approaches. The funds must serve children below age nineteen who are living in families with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.  Several states have also used SCHIP flexibility to cover uninsured families of eligible children. SCHIP is authorized through the 2007 federal fiscal year.

Focus of Center Activities

The Health Division of NGA's Center for Best Practices conducts numerous activities and services for Governors and their staff to support and assist state efforts to implement SCHIP. NGA works closely with states to:

• track state decisions regarding SCHIP implementation;
• track and list state executive branch reports and other public documents that examine options, describe programs and administrative structures;
• track and list technical assistance reports and resources from foundations, research groups, think tanks, and advocacy organizations;
• facilitate rapid state to state communication and state-to-federal communication on technical issues; and
• provide research and analysis for states on emerging issues, implementation challenges, and state best practices.