OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state is getting $17.6 million from the federal government as a bonus for work done to boost enrollment of uninsured children covered under Medicaid.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday it awarded $206 million to 15 states. Alabama received the highest award, at nearly $55 million. The money is part of a joint state and federal program signed by President Barack Obama in 2009.
Other states receiving the bonuses are: Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
The announcement comes just two weeks after Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed a budget that would eliminate health coverage for thousands of children who could be in the country illegally.
