Enrollment drops a fourth time in children's insurance program
Source: By POLLY ROSS HUGHES, Houston Chronicle (TX), April 11, 2006
AUSTIN - Enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program dropped last month for the fourth time in a row as officials announced a $3 million program to educate families on how to keep their children insured. CHIP enrollment as of April 1 dropped to just under 293,000 from an adjusted 302,000 one month earlier, according to data released Tuesday by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. ..... The drop has alarmed children's advocates because Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation, with one in four children lacking health coverage. ...... The state also restored coverage to 6,000 children last month because the new contractor, a consortium led by outsourcing giant Accenture, failed to tell families about the fees.