DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES 
Health Care Financing Administration  
 Center for Medicaid and State Operations 
7500 Security Boulevard 
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 
December 19, 1997   
Dear State Officials:   
The passage of Title XXI of the Social Security Act, the State Children's Health Insurance Program 
(CHIP), the single largest expansion of Health insurance coverage for children since the enactment of 
Medicaid, represents an historic opportunity. States, together with the Federal Government, are using 
this opportunity to increase the number of children with health insurance coverage and to improve 
children's access to quality health care services.   
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning a set of regional conferences in 
January and February to bring together State and Federal Government officials, State legislators, as 
well as interested community leaders, as a first step in providing technical assistance to States in the 
development and implementation of their CHIP plans. An interdepartmental HHS steering committee 
is working collaboratively to bring resources to States, as well as to make it easier for States to learn 
from each other. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and the Health Resources and 
Services Administration (HRSA) are leading the multi-agency effort to implement CHIP and to 
address interest among the States in effective outreach strategies and comprehensive systems of care 
for children.   
The regional conferences will address technical information and assistance needed to implement 
CHIP, such as outreach, administrative simplification and streamlined eligibility, tools to promote and 
measure quality, coordination with other children's health programs, and "crowd-out" of private 
insurance coverage. National experts and experts from the States will be invited to supplement 
Federal experiences and perspectives. The Department will also work with States to identify program 
performance indicators and quality of care measures. Research and evaluation related to all of these 
activities can be used by States to improve their child health programs. The Department can also 
make technical assistance available, upon request, through State, national and regional meetings and a 
continually updated website (www.hcfa.gov).   
The Department encourages collaboration among State public health, Medicaid, and other relevant 
agencies to reach and serve uninsured children across the nation. CHIP's passage fundamentally 
underscores the importance of well-coordinated outreach programs as a supplement to insurance 
coverage. We know that insurance programs constitute an important first step in the improvement of 
children's health, and that some children and their families may experience significant barriers to high 
quality systems of quality care, even with the opportunities presented by insurance coverage.   
The Department is working hard to assist States as they take advantage of this unprecedented 
opportunity to improve the health of the nation's children. We want to do all that we can to support 
implementation of CHIP among States. You should have already received a draft template, four sets 
of questions and answers regarding implementation, and several letters providing implementation 
guidance. All of these documents are available on the Internet.   
Enclosed for your information is the listing of the dates  for the various regional conferences. Please 
be advised that due to space constraints, these conferences are by invitation only. You should 
anticipate being contacted by your regional office with additional information on the conference in 
your area. The list of the conference dates will be made available on the Internet as well.    We look forward to working with you and hope you will feel free to call upon us for assistance and 
resources. The regional offices are also prepared to assist with your requests for technical assistance. 
In addition, please feel free to contact Rick Fenton, Deputy Director of the Family and Children's 
Health Programs Group at HCFA, or Gerard Fergerson, Ph.D., HHS Senior Staff Fellow, with further 
questions or additional ideas for technical assistance. Rick can be reached at (410) 786-5920 and 
Gerard can be reached at (301) 443-1134. We look forward to hearing from you.   
Sincerely,   
Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H Acting Administrator Health Resources and Service Administration  
Nancy-Ann Min DeParle Administrator Health Care Financing Administration  
Enclosure   
cc:  HHS Regional Directors  HCFA Regional Offices  PHS Regional Offices  Ms. Lee Partridge, 
American Public Welfare Association  Ms. Jennifer Baxendell, National Governors' Association  Ms. 
Joy Wilson, National Conference of State Legislatures  Ms. Cheryl Beversdorf, Association of State 
and Territorial Health Officials  Ms. Mary Beth Senkewicz, National Association of Insurance 
Commissioners   
  
ENCLOSURE   
Confirmed Dates for Regional CHIP Conferences    
The following are the final dates for the regional child health conferences. Please note that attendance 
at these conferences is by invitation only. Please contact the appropriate Regional Offices for 
additional information about the conference, (i.e. agenda, speakers, accomodations).   
Region Location Date Region VII & V Kansas City, MO (joint with Chicago) January 9, 1998 
Region VI Dallas, TX January 12 - 13 Region I Boston, MA January 13 - 14 Region II New York, 
NY January 22 Region X Seattle, WA January 29 Region IV Atlanta, GA February 2 Region IX San 
Francisco, CA February 4 Region VIII Denver, CO February 5 - 6 Region III Baltimore, MD 
February 23