“As policymakers in Washington consider health reform, the care and coverage of the nation’s children is certain to be part of the debate. During the campaign President-elect Barack Obama said that he would require that all children have health coverage. Moreover, Congress is expected to take up reauthorization of the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) before the program’s funding expires at the end of March.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has several resources that explain the state of children’s health and health care coverage and can serve as helpful reference guides in understanding the policy debate. The materials include state level data on children’s coverage and overviews of the role of Medicaid and SCHIP, which together provide coverage for more than one in four children.”