State gets $5 million bonus for kids' program

There is some good news for Georgia's children needing health insurance and medical care. A federal agency has awarded Georgia almost $5 million bonus payment for enrolling more children in government health insurance programs.

It’s the first year that Georgia has received this performance bonus, funded under 2009 legislation that reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). While Georgia has had to wait several years for the additional money, it is a welcome bonus to the state when they enroll lower income children in Medicaid.

“More of Georgia’s children now have the advantages health coverage provides,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement. “And Georgia parents now have the security of knowing their children can get the health care they need without worrying that an illness could leave them with a lifetime of medical bills.”