We are excited to announce that two new states are joining the Finish Line project: Kansas and Kentucky. Leading these state efforts, Kansas Action for Children and Kentucky Voices for Health have experience promoting and advancing policies that have resulted in gains in health coverage for children and families in their respective states.

The Finish Line project is a David & Lucile Packard Foundation initiative that began in 2007 with the goal of ensuring that all children and their families have access to affordable, quality health care and health insurance coverage. Since its inception, the Finish Line network has grown from 10 to 21 states with increased support from the Packard Foundation as well as other national and state philanthropies, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose grant to the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families supports funding for Kansas and Kentucky advocates to participate in the network. Over the years, state child health policy experts and advocates in the network secured critical gains in coverage, including expanding Medicaid to low-income parents and other adults, lawfully residing immigrant children, and simplifying enrollment processes for children and families.

Other states currently in the Finish Line network are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. CCF works in partnership with advocates in these states, providing technical assistance on Medicaid and CHIP policy and research to support data-driven policy options that promote and advance coverage for children and families. We look forward to working more closely with our friends in Kansas and Kentucky and supporting their initiatives to improve child and family health.