Obama administration awards $300 million for children's healthcare

The Obama administration on Wednesday awarded 23 states $296 million in bonus payments for exceeding enrollment targets in the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The awards come as a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that 1.2 million children have gained coverage since the CHIP program was reauthorized in 2009.

"More children now have the advantages health coverage provides," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. "And parents now have the security of knowing their children can get the health care they need without worrying that an illness could leave them with a lifetime of medical bills."

The 23 states are Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.