Building a Healthy Community, One Child at a Time

[struggle4progress]

By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D.
Published: January 22, 2009

... 8.9 million American children .. have no health insurance.

Last year, there was a big plan to try to change those numbers. But two bipartisan attempts in Congress to expand children’s health coverage withered after presidential vetoes.

This year, it appears that a revised and more comprehensive version of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program will likely pass, supported by the new president. After the House passed the bill last week, Mr. Obama said in a statement, “This coverage is critical, it is fully paid for and I hope that the Senate acts with the same sense of urgency so that it can be one of the first measures I sign into law when I am President” ...

The most striking difference .. between Community Care of North Carolina and other state Medicaid programs is the complete absence of insurance companies. Most states partner with an insurance company to deliver care to Medicaid patients; any residual profits go to the insurance company. But in North Carolina, state Medicaid administrators and health care providers manage the program exclusively and then funnel profits directly back into patient care ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/health/22chen.html?_r=1