Insuring the children: Obstacles and opportunities

Passage of Title XXI of the Social Security Act the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), offers new opportunities for helping children gain health insurance coverage. This article examines the current status of the problem of children without health insurance, describes the major provisions of Title XXI, and considers some of the implications of this new policy. Strategies human service professionals can use to help increase insurance among children are identified including: (1) helping families capitalize on opportunities for health care coverage through Medicaid and CHIP: (2) influencing key state policy decisions in the design and implementation of CHIP; and (3) continuing to engage in the research, policy analysis, and advocacy, which will help to improve the health insurance coverage available to children and families.