Pediatricians in 12 states and five territories who feared that State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) money would run out can breathe a little easier; federal checks to their programs are in the mail. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that unspent funds would be reallocated to states in greatest need, an established process. This year, the surplus totaled $173 million, falling “far short of the $456 million that was needed to keep every SCHIP program running,” CMS said in a statement; therefore, the remaining funds were appropriated via the Deficit Reduction Act. States such as Illinois needed the extra funds because they are “doing a great job” of enrolling children and adolescents in SCHIP, said Dr. Mark Rosenberg, a Chicago pediatrician who serves on a governmental affairs committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of the funds redistributed, Illinois received $117.5 million; Iowa, $6 million; Maryland, $13.7 million; Massachusetts, $21.9 million; Minnesota, $20 million; Mississippi, $73.6 million; Missouri, $8 million; Nebraska, $15.7 million; New Jersey, $105.6 million; North Carolina, $2.8 million; Rhode Island, $66 million; and South Dakota, $0.5 million. The SCHIP program differs from Medicaid, an open-ended program under which states can ask for matching funds, according to CMS. Under SCHIP, allocations of federal money are made based on a 3-year budget estimate.
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