Yesterday HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that $6,473,416 was awarded to Montana for ensuring more children have health coverage. The performance bonus payments are funded under the children’s health insurance program re-authorization act, one of the first pieces of legislation signed into law by President Obama in 2009. To qualify for these bonus payments, states must surpass a specified Medicaid enrollment target. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner says there is nothing more important to our future then the health of our children.

 

CMS deputy administrator Cindy Mann says Montana is one of 23 states to share over $296 million in federal performance bonuses this year..

The bonuses come one week after new data from the centers for disease control and prevention show that the number of children with insurance increased by 1.2 million since the chip re-authorization in 2009.

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