Half of the $40 million in grants the government is awarding for efforts to identify and enroll children eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has been earmarked for technology to make enrollment more efficient.

Grant amounts range from $200,000 to $2.5 million with the largest grants going to the technology focus area

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded grants to 39 state agencies, community health centers, school-based organizations and nonprofit groups in 23 states. The two-year grants are authorized under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009.

"Today's grants will help us identify and enroll children in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, ensuring that more children have the healthcare they need," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  "Keeping Americans healthy from a young age is the right thing to do, and it saves money by avoiding preventable diseases and conditions as they get older.

Sebelius said the activities HHS targeted would help eligible children get covered, stay healthy and prepare them to succeed in school. 

Grants were made in five focus areas: 

1. Using technology to facilitate enrollment and renewal (approximately $20 million to ten grantees)
2. Retaining eligible children in coverage (approximately $3 million to four grantees)
3. Engaging schools in outreach, enrollment and renewal activities (approximately $5 million to seven grantees)
4. Reaching children who are most likely to experience gaps in coverage (approximately $10 million to fourteen grantees)
5. Ensuring eligible teens are enrolled and stay covered (approximately $3 million to four grantees).

"We are making great progress enrolling eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP and the grants released today help keep these important efforts moving forward,” said Cindy Mann, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey & Certification. “They are a part of our commitment to help all eligible children get the health coverage they need,"

A new study just released by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that, despite an increase in eligible children between 2008 and 2009, the total number of eligible but uninsured children declined from 4.7 million in 2008 to 4.3 million in 2009, in part due to outreach and enrollment efforts.

HHS' complete list of grant recipients and the amounts awarded by focus area are on next pages.