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Kids' insurance tied to Iraq pullout legislation
Jackson Clarion-Ledger (MS) - 4/9/2007
Future health care coverage for more than 60,000 Mississippi children hinges on a bill now in the hands of a committee in Congress where House and Senate members are to work out differences.
But even if the bill eventually passes, funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program in more than a dozen states is still in jeopardy.
The program's funding is wrapped up in controversial House Bill 1591, which would fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through fiscal 2007 but put a deadline for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. President Bush has said he will veto any bill that puts a timeline on withdrawing U.S. troops.
Under the proposed legislation, $745 million in emergency funding would be shared among 14 states that are facing shortfalls in CHIP, which covers children whose parents do not have insurance coverage and are not covered by their employers.
In Mississippi, a shortage of up to $15 million in federal funds is projected in the program after the state fiscal year ends June 30.
Lawmakers are hoping the money will come.
"We've funded CHIP as we normally fund CHIP, as if the federal government is going to fund our match," said House Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Steve Holland, D-Plantersville. "Of course, if that doesn't happen, we're in big trouble."
For every 17 cents Mississippi allocates, the federal government gives 83 cents toward the state-federal program.
About $5 billion has been spent on the program annually since it was commissioned in 1997 as a 10-year venture. It is up for reauthorization this year.
Mississippi and several other states already have spent more than their federal subsidy. Based partially on the number of uninsured children and wages in the state, some officials blame the problem on a fundamentally flawed funding formula.
According to a recent survey by The Associated Press, at least 13 states other than Mississippi are facing shortfalls: Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Alaska.
Already some have begun to freeze or limit enrollment, reduce benefits and raise premiums, said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, a national nonprofit advocacy organization that focuses on children's issues.
"The worst consequences of this are kids actually dying, and we've seen recent incidents of that," he said, referring specifically to an incident in Maryland where a 12-year-old boy without insurance died from an abscessed tooth.
The program provides immunizations, primary care and hospitalization for little or no fee.
"It's been a beautiful program for working Mississippians, I only wish we could do more outreach," Holland said. "I'm 100 percent committed to it ... as long as the federal government puts up the match."
Advocates say allocating the money needed for this year is only the first step in providing adequate health care to children.
Complications with the application process, including face-to-face interviews that are now required for enrollment, are hurting children who may be eligible, said Rhea Williams-Bishop, CHIP administrator for the Southern Regional Office of the Children's Defense Fund.
Ethel Blackmon of Jackson knows firsthand about the red tape. She has to go through a recertification process every three to six months for both of her children - the youngest of which is on Medicaid and the oldest in limbo between CHIPand Medicaid.
"I had to take off a half day of work for the face-to-face interview," Blackmon said. "It hurts to miss even a second of work, and I can't get that back."
Blackmon is hoping her eldest child will be approved for Medicaid because she can't afford the premiums and co-payments CHIPrequires, though she works full time.
Fully funding CHIP "is not good enough for us, and it's not good enough for the kids of America," Williams-Bishop said. "If you're working and you still can't even afford health care for your children, what does that say about this nation?"
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