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News Release

HHS Approves Colorado Request
To Expand Coverage To Uninsured Pregnant Women

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the approval of Colorado's request to expand health insurance coverage to nearly 13,000 pregnant women under the Administration's Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) Initiative.

"Approving this request means that thousands of uninsured women and their babies will be able to get health care coverage," Secretary Thompson said. "By giving Colorado and other states more flexibility to provide health care to low-income citizens, particularly children, we are helping many more people across the country gain access to quality health care."

Under the waiver, Colorado expects to add nearly 13,000 pregnant women whose family incomes are at or less than 185 percent of the federal poverty limit (FPL) which is $16,391 for an individual and $22,089 for a couple.

Colorado will use a comprehensive benefit package that is designed to be similar to a health insurance product that would be typically available through a commercial insurer and includes full medical care. The state will use unspent State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funds to finance the program.

Secretary Thompson launched the new HIFA initiative last year to encourage states to expand access to health care coverage for low-income individuals through Medicaid and SCHIP demonstrations. The initiative gives states more flexibility to coordinate these companion programs and offers a simpler application for states that commit to reducing the number of people without health insurance. HIFA also encourages coordination between public and private coverage options for the uninsured.

As former governors, President Bush and Secretary Thompson have made it a priority to make it simpler and easier for governors to submit Medicaid and SCHIP waiver requests and to have those requests considered promptly. Since January 2001, HHS has approved waivers and plan amendments that have expanded eligibility to more than 2 million people and enhanced benefits for more than 6 million people.

Colorado is the first state to use SCHIP funds through the HIFA process to expand coverage to pregnant women, although HHS previously approved SCHIP waivers from two other states -- New Jersey and Rhode Island -- to expand coverage to pregnant women.

To date, six states including Colorado have used the HIFA waiver process to expand access to health care coverage to people without health insurance. More information about the HIFA initiative, including an online template that states can use to submit applications, is available at www.cms.gov/hifa/.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: January 16, 2003