States Move Swiftly on Child-Insurance Front

By Kerry A. White

When lawmakers in Illinois emerge from this year's legislative session shortly, they may be heard singing the praises of their newly adopted comprehensive child-health-care program.

Joining in on that chorus will be state leaders across the country, who are racing to take advantage of a $24 billion federal windfall to extend health coverage to millions of uninsured children. Many states have spent the past several months brokering health plans of their own.

The initiatives, intended for youngsters in lower-income families, are offshoots of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, a five-year federal program created in the federal Balanced...