Editorial: Infusion of money for state health plan

Friday, May 28, 1999 | 12:22 p.m.

A new federal program to get needy children health insurance coverage has gotten off to a rough start across the nation, including here in Nevada. Congress set aside a sizable amount of money for the states but the funds have largely gone unspent. Nevada officials originally estimated that anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 children would be eligible, but it is projected that Nevada will have enrolled just 7,500 children by Oct. 1, the program's one-year anniversary.

One of the primary problems facing these state-run programs, in which the federal government pays 65 percent of the costs and the states assume the rest, is a failure to aggressively reach out to those who are eligible. But help is on the way. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is providing government and nonprofit agencies in Nevada $855,000 over the next three years to help enroll more low-income children in either the Nevada Check-Up or Medicaid programs. No child should have to go without medical care just because his parents can't afford existing health insurance plans. It is hoped this generous grant will reduce the number of uninsured children in Nevada.