This article examines the political and legislative history of the Children's Health Insurance Program and analyzes the lessons for policymakers who are contemplating broader health care reform.

It was published online in the journal Health Affairs and was authored by Jonathan Oberlander, an associate professor, social medicine and health policy and management, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Barbara Lyons, a vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and deputy director of the foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

 Article (Free access)