HHS AWARDS $11.7 MILLION TO STATES TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced $11.7 million in grants to support projects in 30 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands to develop plans to provide affordable health insurance for uninsured residents.

Seven states --Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Virginia -- and the District of Columbia will receive new one-year grants totaling close to $7.4 million under HHS' State Planning Grants program. Supplemental grants of almost $4.3 million will go to 24 current grantees (23 states and the Virgin Islands) to support their efforts to develop options to increase health insurance coverage.

"These grants will help states develop strategies to provide access to health care and coverage for more of their residents. This a complex issue that requires innovation, and we want to encourage state ideas to help get more Americans health coverage," Secretary Thompson said. "With more than 40 million Americans lacking health insurance, we are pursuing a wide range of initiatives to expand coverage. President Bush's budget plan would expand community health centers that care for the uninsured, offer health tax credits to help individuals obtain insurance and would extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid to reach more Americans who otherwise would go without coverage."

Grantees first conduct studies to identify uninsured residents and the reasons why they are uninsured. Then states use this information to determine the most effective ways to provide high-quality, affordable health insurance, using plans offered to government employees or other benchmark health plans as a model. The grants are administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and its Office of Special Programs.

"An important element of the grants requires states to report to Secretary Thompson on details of their proposals to increase residents' access to health insurance," HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke said. "These findings will be helpful to the federal government and to other states as we work together to expand coverage."

Information about the President's initiatives to help the uninsured is available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030211.html. Additional information on the State Planning Grants program is available at http://www.hrsa.gov/osp/stateplanning.

Lists of the new and supplemental grants follow.

FY 2003 New State Planning Grants

FY 2003 State Planning Supplemental Grants

Organization City State Award

Alabama Department Montgomery Ala. $185,000
of Public Health

Arkansas Department Little Rock Ark. $287,704*
of Health

Connecticut Office Hartford Conn. $185,000
of Health Care
Access

Delaware Health Dover Del. $150,000
Care Commission

Hawaii Department Honolulu Hawaii $185,000
of Health

Idaho Department of Boise Idaho $185,000
Commerce

Illinois Department Springfield Ill. $185,000
of Insurance

Indiana Family and Indianapolis Ind. $185,000
Social Services
Admin.

Iowa Department of Des Moines Iowa $103,595
Public Health

Kansas Department Topeka Kan. $185,000
of Insurance

Maine Department of Augusta Maine $185,000
Human Services

Maryland Dept. of Baltimore Md. $185,000
Health and Mental
Hygiene

Massachusetts Boston Mass. $185,000
Division of Medical
Assistance

Minnesota St. Paul Minn. $185,000
Department of
Health

New Jersey Trenton N.J. $185,000
Department of Human
Services

Oregon Office for Salem Ore. $185,000
Health Policy and
Research

South Carolina Columbia S.C. $170,088
Department of
Insurance

Texas Department of Austin Texas $173,811
Insurance

Vermont Agency for Waterbury Vermont $148,233
Human Services

Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie V.I. $103,595
Bureau of Economic
Research

Washington Office Olympia Wash. $185,000
of Financial
Management

West Virginia Charleston W.Va. $185,000
Health Care
Authority

Wisconsin Dept. of Madison Wisc. $185,000
Health and Family
Services

Wyoming Department Cheyenne Wyo. $185,000
of Health

Total $4,282,026

*Includes $137,720 for the State Planning Grants Multi-State Integrated Data Base

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Note

All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: October 1, 2003