In the wake of CMS' announcement that states must cover 95% of already-eligible kids before expanding SCHIP, the New York Times reported today that despite a decade of marketing efforts by government and private foundations, as many as 30% of SCHIP-eligible kids have not yet enrolled in the program.

The NYT article outlines the efforts of North Carolina, a state that has eliminated waiting periods, hired translators for eligible immigrants, and hawked refrigerator magnets in the name of SCHIP enrollment. Despite the push, however, the number of uninsured kids in the Tar Heel State is actually increasing. Another article outlines the SWAG that states use to promote SCHIP enrollment, including balloons, change purses, coloring books, Frisbees, safety covers for electrical outlets, and WIC vouchers.

This underscores the key reason why CMS is restricting SCHIP expansion in the first place: States shouldn't expand SCHIP "supply" up the income ladder when, despite freebies and bribes, SCHIP "demand" from the truly needy hasn't yet topped out. More than anything else, this story exposes the real agenda of state SCHIP pushers: enrolling kids for enrollment's sake in order to ensure their bureaucratic survival.