About 60 percent of the federal stimulus money is going to states and localities for health and education. Track how states are managing the red tape and using the money, with the help of these new Stateline.org reports.

These findings are from a new report released by Families USA, The Clock Is Ticking: More Americans Losing Health Coverage , which further makes the case for the urgency of action on health reform.

This new report provides the first ever state-by-state data on the number of people who are expected to lose health coverage between the beginning of 2008 and the end of 2010. Numbers are broken down per week, per month, and per year.

A CFK summary and list of some key issues in health care reform. This is constantly evolving, so check back often.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) enacted in February contains several provisions to reduce the harmful impact of Medicaid’s citizenship documentation requirement, which has caused many eligible citizen children to lose or be denied coverage since its 2006 enactment. By implementing these changes immediately, states can lighten the burden that the requirement imposes on otherwise eligible families.

A new report from Families USA, “Americans at Risk”, takes a closer look at who is uninsured in your state. Families USA examines who was uninsured under the age of 65 for some period of time in 2007 and 2008. As it turns out, the number is a lot higher than is often reported. As the report states, uninsured people go without screenings and preventive care, delay or forgo needed care, and tend to be sicker and die earlier than their insured friends and neighbors. On top of that, uninsured families risk bankruptcy from skyrocketing medical costs and piling medical debt.

Context and resources to help you cut through the hype.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that while West Virginia's Medicaid program covers some dental care for children younger than age 19, the West Virginia Dental Association is asking to add additional services for infants and toddlers, to encourage early dental health.

This Center for Health and Health Care in Schools webinar on Feb. 24, 2009 will address partnering with families to meet the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee children.

A podcast is now available of the conference call on the Kaiser Family Foundations Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured series of new reports, including its annual 50-state survey examining changes in Medicaid/SCHIP eligibility and enrollment policies for children and parents.

Alaska’s native Americans suffered higher costs and reduced enrollment as a result of the 2006 federal requirement to families to provide citizenship documentation to enroll in Medicaid, according to this Commonwealth Fund survey of seven states. In contrast, Arizona’s budgeting for copying documents and staff assistance helped maintain Medicaid enrollments, though families did experience greater delays in coverage. In general the new documentation rules have made it more difficult for children and families to obtain and maintain health coverage.