Good morning, Denn blog visitors. I apologize for not having an entry since Monday, a lot of my time this week has been consumed by campaign fundraising activities. If you would like to ensure that this does not happen again, you can do so by getting 400 of your best friends to send me $1,200 apiece, or by convincing my parents to reveal the secret family fortune that they concealed from me to date so it would not affect my work ethic. Or you can just click here.

Earlier in the week, I did unveil my proposal to ensure that each of the 22,000 uninsured kids in Delaware can get affordable health insurance by January 1, 2010. Universal coverage for all Delawareans has to be our goal, but getting there will take some doing—it’s not an accident that none of the other 49 states have done it yet either. Insuring our 22,000 uninsured children is very doable, fairly inexpensive (about $1 per Delawarean per month), and will immediately cut our uninsured rate by 20%. You can read my plan here.

Finally, I’d like to thank the Delaware State Education Association for letting me and the Denn boys march with them in Monday’s Labor Day Parade. The boys have become quite talented at finding new ways to get into mischief during parades (throwing shoes out of their wagon, using American flags as swords to duel with, Sumo wrestling while wagon is in motion, etc.), and having dozens of teachers and other educators helping me keep an eye on them was very reassuring.

All Children In State Would Be Eligible For Quality, Low-Cost Coverage

Wilmington - Matt Denn, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, on Tuesday outlined a plan to make all children in Delaware eligible for health care coverage, as well as expand the rolls of children in existing health coverage programs.

Denn, who has worked in his term as Insurance Commissioner to sign children up for health coverage, said the expansion could happen with limited state dollars.

“The proposal I am announcing today is to provide, by January 1, 2010, affordable health insurance for the over 22,000 Delaware children lacking health insurance, as an important interim step toward universal coverage,” Denn said. “Kids with health insurance are more likely to get the routine preventative care that is critical to proper development, and are more likely to be screened for serious illnesses at an early age when those illnesses can be better treated.”

Denn’s plan includes:

Expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) To 300 Percent Of Poverty. Currently, families earning between 100 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($21,200 to $42,400 for a family of four) are eligible for CHIP, which is health insurance funded in part by the federal and state governments. Denn said Delaware should follow the successful lead of other states and expand the eligibility level to 300 percent of poverty ($63,600 for family of four). Such a move would require a federal waiver.

Allowing Families Over 300 Percent Of Poverty To Buy In To CHIP. CHIP provides quality health care coverage. Allowing families with incomes over 300 percent of poverty ($63,600 for family of four) to buy in to the CHIP program — paying the full cost for their coverage rather than being subsidized by the state and federal governments as lower-income families are — would open a very affordable option for health coverage for middle class families. The buy-in cost is estimated at $150 per month.

Enrolling More Children Below 200 Percent of Poverty In CHIP. It is estimated that less than half of the Delaware children currently eligible for CHIP are actually enrolled in it, due largely to a lack of outreach by state government. Denn said the state should move from monthly premiums to co-pays, should quickly enroll families into CHIP rather than waiting months for their income to be verified, and should increase enrollment efforts using school nurses, hospital maternity wards and early childhood centers. Increased outreach has also been shown to bring more children onto Medicaid, which is for families under 100 percent of the poverty level ($21,200 for a family of four).

“We have a chance to become one of the first states in America to be able to say ‘we cover all kids.’ We should take that opportunity, as a benchmark on the way to covering all Delawareans,” Denn said.

Denn’s plan was endorsed by state Sen. Patricia Blevins and state Rep. Terry Schooley, who have worked with Denn since 2005 to expand health care coverage for children.

Denn has centered his campaign - and will focus in his term as Lieutenant Governor - on issues affecting children, including education, health care, environmental issues and improving services to children who are abused, neglected, living in foster care, or overcoming disabilities.

To learn more about Matt Denn and his campaign, go to www.MattDenn.com.

Today is not only the day that we honor America’s working families, it is also the day that—six years ago—Mrs. Denn became my wife.  We have had company for most of that time.  Lenny arrived four years ago from the local pug breeder, and Zach and Adam arrived three and a half years ago from…well…Mrs. Denn.  She has been a great mom to all three, but from my selfish perspective, she has also been a wife and partner beyond compare.  I am not going to turn this blog into a Hallmark card, so I will just wrap up by saying Happy Anniversary Michele—I will be home later with the steaks & wine.