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Effective Date:

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Updated and amended effective August 24, 2001

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representatives of the insurance industry, to express concerns and recommendations on the design and implementation of the state plan.

The Insurance Department in May of 1998, again conducted a public workshop for the purpose of soliciting recommendations on the development of outreach strategies to facilitate maximum enrollment of children in both the CHIP program and Medicaid. As a result of these meetings and workshops, the Insurance Department has developed a business plan which will be implemented in phases. The first phase will be to “get the word out” about the program expansion. The Departments of Public Welfare and Health will also be helping us to improve the information and referral mechanisms between CHIP and the Medicaid. Additionally, various organizations outside of state government have, or are about to, initiate a variety of awareness campaigns which have been endorsed by the Insurance Department. For example, the “Kids First” initiative sponsored by the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania and a grant application submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children entitled “Covering Kids”. Plans for this initial emphasis will begin during the months of July, August, and September. We will then move on to more long-term enrollment strategies. In addition, tentative plans call for a reconvening of the individuals who participated in the May workshop in early fall for general discussions of community connections, and update and assessment of the impact of our efforts.

Another primary mechanism for public input and involvement is the Children’s Health Advisory Council which was created by state statute. The Children’s Advisory Council is now under jurisdiction of the Insurance Department as a result of amendments to the CHIP law (see Appendix A, Act 68, section 2311(I)). The Children’s Advisory Council is chaired by the Insurance Commissioner and consists of three ex- officio members from the Insurance Department, the Department of Health, and the Department of Public Welfare, respectively. It also consists of 14 voting members ranging from legislators to a parent with a child enrolled in CHIP.

For the expansion program, the Commonwealth is using a multi-step process to solicit input from various stakeholders including providers, CHIP and Medicaid recipients and their families, and advocacy groups. Events that have already occurred or are scheduled include the Governor’s budget address, Secretary level presentations to the state legislature, program summaries to interested parties as part of the budget clarifications, governor’s press announcements at various locations around the state, and Cabinet level presentations to various interest groups. The advocacy community is already involved as well as