1. Conference Committee Today on HB 540 They agreed to cover all uninsured children--whether citizens or immigrants--up to 200% FPL. The 10% of tobacco settlement funds available for CHIP should be enough to cover the state's share for CHIP and the entire cost for immigrant children. Conference committee takes it up again on Monday, 24 April at 9:30 in room 229. 2. New Resource Manual on Immigrant Access to Health Benefits Released by The Access Project and The National Health Law Program The Access Project and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) have released a new publication, entitled "Immigrant Access to Health Benefits: A Resource Manual." This manual was written for use as a resource in conjunction with an intensive training program developed by The Access Project and the National Health Law Program. "Immigrant Access to Health Benefits: A Resource Manual" is available free of charge from The Access Project, 30 Winter St, Ste 930, Boston, MA 02108, phone 617-654-9911, fax 617-654-9911 or e-mail info@accessproject.org. 3. Kaiser Reports Find Medicaid Enrollment Up in 21 States The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, an initiative of the Kaiser Family Foundation, released a report showing an increase in the number of people enrolled in Medicaid in 21 states in June 1999 compared with June 1998. This upswing follows a period of enrollment decreases that began in 1995. This study, based on monthly Medicaid reports from 21 states, shows Medicaid enrollment for selected months from June 1997 to June 1999. From June 1997 to June 1998, overall Medicaid enrollment decreased 2.7% in the 21 states, a decline of about 620,000 individuals (from 23.2 million to 22.6 million). However, from June 1998 to June 1999, total enrollment increased by 1.4% or 320,000 with more than half of the states showing an upturn in enrollment. "As states struggle to improve health coverage of low-income children and families, current data is critical to enable policymakers to assess the impact of their efforts on the low-income population Medicaid serves," said Diane Rowland, Executive Director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. "These reports provide promising signs that many states are engaging in efforts to reverse the decline in Medicaid enrollment." To download a copy of the report, visit Medicaid Enrollment in 21 States: June 1997 - June 1999. 4. Ontario Government Investing $20 Million in Children's Mental Health Services Toronto (CP). The Ontario government is spending $5.5 million to set up new emergency response teams for children and families in crisis. The mobile teams, comprising of 54 crisis workers and nine psychiatrists, are part of an annual $20-million commitment for mental health services for youngsters announced Thursday by Margaret Marland, the minister responsible for children. The teams will be stationed across the province and be available on an emergency basis. The investment will give children with mental health problems and their families new and more accessible services, Marland said. The money will also go toward intensive child and family intervention services in homes, schools and communities. In addition, the government is spending $400,000 to provide telephone access to specialized psychiatric services for children in ten rural and remote communities--Parry Sound, Owen Sound, Fort Frances, Pembroke, Sioux Lookout, Moose Factory, Kapuskasing, Chatham, Gerldton and Kenora. [.]" 5. Covering Health: Sourcebook for Journalists You can get the big picture on health care and children's health, with key facts and figures, from a new briefing book for journalists from the Alliance for Health Reform. 6. Children in Cities: Uncertain Futures Do children growing up in cities face more challenges than suburban children? Have at-risk children concentrated in cities over time? The evidence presented in this paper suggests that a growing number of children are at risk of becoming another generation of poor adults and that a disproportionate number of them live in the nation's central cities. This survey uses Current Population Survey data to determine the location of children at high risk of poor adult outcomes like poverty, teenage and unwed childbearing and low education levels. (Isabel Sawhill and Laura Chadwick, January 2000)