State CHIP programs up and running,but enrollment lagging

States have moved swiftly to start materializing the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The program enacted in 1997 hopes to cover millions of uninsured American children targeting children up to age 19 in families with incomes 200% below the federal poverty line. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have secured federal approval for the program whose coverage includes family planning services and supplies for enrolled adolescents. Their plans gave the program an enormous potential to help meet the reproductive health care needs of 2.7 million uninsured teenagers. However, with the low number of individuals enrolled than expected, the federal and state governments, initiated efforts to develop more extensive and aggressive outreach activities to boost CHIP enrollment.