HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that nine states have received one-year grants totaling $10.2 million to develop plans for providing their uninsured citizens with affordable health insurance. The newly funded states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.
The nine latest recipients of State Planning Grants join 11 others that last year received grants totaling $13.6 million, the first awards made under the program.
"It is vital that we work to expand access to health insurance to all our citizens," said Secretary Thompson. "The grants will help states identify who remains uninsured, why they are uninsured and develop ways to get them the coverage they need."
Under the program, administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration, grantees from state agencies first will conduct studies to identify characteristics of their uninsured citizens. Grantees then will use that data to determine the most effective methods to provide all state citizens with high-quality, affordable health insurance similar to plans that cover government employees or other benchmark plans.
All state grantees are required by the end of their grant to report to the Secretary on grant activities and detail proposals for expanding insurance coverage to all uninsured citizens.
"We expect to receive some interesting and inventive models for covering the uninsured that will be very useful to other states and the nation as a whole," said HRSA Administrator Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H.
More information about the program is available at http://www.hrsa.gov/stateplanning.
HRSA Fiscal Year 2001 State Planning Grantees Grantee Award Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System $ 1,162,879 California Health and Human Services $ 1,197,000 Office of the Governor-State of Colorado $ 1,300,000 South Dakota Department of Health $ 1,056,812 Connecticut Office of Health Care Access $ 612,000 Idaho Department of Commerce $ 1,119,421 Washington Office of Financial Management $ 1,320,400 Texas Department of Insurance $ 1,350,735 Utah Department of Health $ 1,102,000
HRSA Fiscal Year 2000 State Planning Grantees Grantee Award Arkansas Department of Health Improvement $1,393,322 Delaware Health Care Commission $ 800,900 State of Illinois $1,200,000 Iowa Department of Health $1,303,731 Kansas Insurance Department $1,298,205 Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance $1,069,195 Minnesota Department of Health $1,630,931 New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services $1,033,315 Office for Oregon Health Plan Policy and Research $1,253,264 Vermont Agency of Human Services $1,288,892 Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services $1,349,846
