Denver Post

Colorado’s federal Medicaid bonus is a welcome reminder that when Republicans and Democrats work together, government can make real progress for real people — here, cutting red tape to cover uninsured children.

This award recognizes the success of Colorado’s Child Health Plan Plus in protecting children’s health. While thousands of families have lost employer-sponsored health insurance, Colorado’s child uninsurance rate has dropped, thanks to CHP+ and Medicaid.

That success happened because Republicans and Democrats in Denver put children’s health before politics and built a system that works for kids. As a bipartisan federal children’s advocacy organization, we know America needs that spirit of cooperation in Washington.

The federal CHP+ law will expire in 2015 unless Congress acts to extend it. Leaders on both sides of the aisle need to hear that covering uninsured kids is a success story Colorado wants to continue.

Bruce Lesley, Washington, D.C.

The writer is president the First Focus Campaign for Children.