We don't want to lose ground.....

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/washington/27govs.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1172600647-sul3lfxy0hr15mthzprxaw

gov. jim douglas of vermont, a republican, said the bush proposals would jeopardize his state’s phenomenal success in covering children. in vermont, he said, fewer than 4 percent of the children are uninsured, and “we don’t want to lose ground.”

bush administration officials emphasized that states received a fixed amount of federal money each year, and they said individual children did not have a legal entitlement to benefits. michael o. leavitt, secretary of health and human services, said he would work with congress to find “a short-term solution” for states exhausting their allotments this year. he said states could avoid shortfalls by managing their programs better.

in his experience as governor of utah, mr. leavitt said, “when we were out of an allotment, we just discontinued enrolling people until we had room.” likewise, he said, states could cover more people if they provided less comprehensive benefits.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

The shortfall is in spite of a an increase in spending.

From the original article,

The federal government spends $5 billion a year on the program. Mr. Bush wants to continue that level, and he is seeking an ”additional allotment” of $4.8 billion over the next five years.