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DEGETTE HAILS PASSAGE OF KIDS' HEALTH BILL
Tuesday September 25, 2007Children’s Health Bill Ensures Health Care Coverage for over 10 Million Children Nationwide
Preserves Coverage for 56,000 Kids in Colorado, Provides New Coverage for 60,000 Kids in Colorado Totaling 116,000
WASHINGTON, DC – As the September 30th deadline to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) quickly approaches, the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives today reauthorized the program for another 5 years on a broad, bipartisan vote of 265 to 159. Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), who voted in support, hailed the passage of the legislation that preserves health care coverage for 6.6 million children and provides new health care coverage for 3.8 million additional low-income kids nationwide.
“This is a victory for millions of low-income kids nationwide who lack basic health care,” said DeGette. “This bill builds upon the tremendous success of the children’s health program over the last ten years. Our reauthorization of SCHIP not only preserves coverage for 6.6 million children currently in the program, but will also provide new health care coverage for nearly 4 million additional kids nationwide. Our ultimate goal is to insure all children eligible for the program who are not currently enrolled.
“Enrolling children in the program will be more efficient because the enrollment formula targets low-income children who don’t have other options for health care. The provisions, including dental coverage, mental health parity, and coverage for pregnant women – an issue I have worked to include in SCHIP for years – will make the children’s health program strong and more comprehensive.
“President Bush holds a healthy future for over 10 million children in his hands. If he follows through on his misguided veto threat, millions of kids will be dropped from the health care rolls. The President must stand with America’s children – now is the time to compromise, not fall back on cynical political rhetoric.”
“This is a victory for millions of low-income kids nationwide who lack basic health care,” said DeGette. “This bill builds upon the tremendous success of the children’s health program over the last ten years. Our reauthorization of SCHIP not only preserves coverage for 6.6 million children currently in the program, but will also provide new health care coverage for nearly 4 million additional kids nationwide. Our ultimate goal is to insure all children eligible for the program who are not currently enrolled.
“Enrolling children in the program will be more efficient because the enrollment formula targets low-income children who don’t have other options for health care. The provisions, including dental coverage, mental health parity, and coverage for pregnant women – an issue I have worked to include in SCHIP for years – will make the children’s health program strong and more comprehensive.
“President Bush holds a healthy future for over 10 million children in his hands. If he follows through on his misguided veto threat, millions of kids will be dropped from the health care rolls. The President must stand with America’s children – now is the time to compromise, not fall back on cynical political rhetoric.”
Reauthorization of SCHIP
Invests $35 Billion in New Funding for SCHIP. The agreement reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program, investing an additional $35 billion over five years to strengthen SCHIP’s financing, increase health insurance coverage for low-income children, and improve the quality of health care children receive.
Lowering the rate of uninsured low-income children. The agreement will provide health coverage to millions of low-income children who are currently uninsured. The bill also ensures that the 6.6 million children who currently participate in SCHIP continue to receive health coverage, and provide new coverage for 3.8 million additional children.
Improving Access to Benefits for Children (Dental Coverage/Mental Health Parity/EPSDT). Under the agreement, quality dental coverage will be provided to all children enrolled in SCHIP. The agreement also ensures states will offer mental health services on par with medical and surgical benefits covered under CHIP, and protects medically necessary benefits (EPSDT) for low-income children.
Prioritizing children’s coverage. The agreement makes several modifications as it relates to populations eligible for CHIP.
Lowering the rate of uninsured low-income children. The agreement will provide health coverage to millions of low-income children who are currently uninsured. The bill also ensures that the 6.6 million children who currently participate in SCHIP continue to receive health coverage, and provide new coverage for 3.8 million additional children.
Improving Access to Benefits for Children (Dental Coverage/Mental Health Parity/EPSDT). Under the agreement, quality dental coverage will be provided to all children enrolled in SCHIP. The agreement also ensures states will offer mental health services on par with medical and surgical benefits covered under CHIP, and protects medically necessary benefits (EPSDT) for low-income children.
Prioritizing children’s coverage. The agreement makes several modifications as it relates to populations eligible for CHIP.
- Pregnant Women: The agreement provides coverage to pregnant women as a new state option as well as preserving the options to cover them through a state waiver or through regulation.
- Parents: The agreement prohibits any new waivers to cover parents in the CHIP program. States that have received waivers to cover low-income parents under CHIP will be allowed to transition parents into a separate block grant. The federal match for services to parents covered through CHIP will be reduced.
- Childless Adults: The agreement retains the current law prohibition of waivers to allow coverage of childless adults. Currently covered childless adults will transition off SCHIP. For states that have received SCHIP waivers to cover childless adults, the agreement terminates those waivers after a one-year period, provides temporary Medicaid funding for already-enrolled adults, and allows states to apply for a Medicaid waiver for coverage.
Providing states with incentives to lower the rate of uninsured low income children. Under the financing structure, states will receive state-based allotments that are responsive to state demographic and national spending trends and allow additional up-front funding for states planning improvements. States that face a funding shortfall and meet enrollment goals will receive an adjustment payment to ensure that no child who is eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP is denied coverage or placed on a waiting list. The formula also sets in place new overall caps on federal funding to ensure the program’s expenditures do not exceed the amounts authorized. The agreement provides incentives for states to lower the rate uninsured children by enrolling eligible children in SCHIP or Medicaid.
Agreement Replaces CMS August 17th Letter to States. The Congress agrees with the President on the importance of covering low-income children have health coverage while taking steps to address crowd-out and prioritize coverage of lower income children. The agreement replaces the flawed CMS August 17th letter to states with a more thoughtful and appropriate approach. In place of the CMS letter, the agreement gives states time and assistance in developing and implementing best practices to address crowd out. The agreement also puts the lowest income children first in line by phasing in a new requirement for coverage of low-income children as a condition of receiving SCHIP funding for coverage of children above 300 percent of the poverty level.
Improving Outreach Tools to Simplify and Streamline Enrollment of Eligible Children. The agreement provides $100 million in grants for new outreach activities to states, local governments, schools, community-based organizations, safety-net providers and others.
Improving the Quality of Health Care for Low-Income Children. The agreement establishes a new quality child health initiative to develop and implement quality measures and improve state reporting of quality data.
Improving Access to Private Coverage Options. The agreement expands on current premium assistance options for states. The agreement allows states to offer a premium assistance subsidy for qualified, cost-effective employer-sponsored coverage to children eligible for SCHIP and who have access to such coverage. It also changes the federal rules governing employer-sponsored insurance to make it easier for states and employers to offer premium assistance programs.
Agreement Replaces CMS August 17th Letter to States. The Congress agrees with the President on the importance of covering low-income children have health coverage while taking steps to address crowd-out and prioritize coverage of lower income children. The agreement replaces the flawed CMS August 17th letter to states with a more thoughtful and appropriate approach. In place of the CMS letter, the agreement gives states time and assistance in developing and implementing best practices to address crowd out. The agreement also puts the lowest income children first in line by phasing in a new requirement for coverage of low-income children as a condition of receiving SCHIP funding for coverage of children above 300 percent of the poverty level.
Improving Outreach Tools to Simplify and Streamline Enrollment of Eligible Children. The agreement provides $100 million in grants for new outreach activities to states, local governments, schools, community-based organizations, safety-net providers and others.
Improving the Quality of Health Care for Low-Income Children. The agreement establishes a new quality child health initiative to develop and implement quality measures and improve state reporting of quality data.
Improving Access to Private Coverage Options. The agreement expands on current premium assistance options for states. The agreement allows states to offer a premium assistance subsidy for qualified, cost-effective employer-sponsored coverage to children eligible for SCHIP and who have access to such coverage. It also changes the federal rules governing employer-sponsored insurance to make it easier for states and employers to offer premium assistance programs.