Access to Healthcare Coverage
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The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to purchase private health insurance for their children. CHIP provides eligible children with coverage for a full range of health services including regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, lab tests, X-rays, hospital visits and more. When a family seeking to renew CHIP coverage is found to be eligible for Medicaid, the application is automatically sent to state workers who complete the processing.
Medicaid is the major public source of financing health care services provided to pregnant women, infants, and children. Medicaid is a key source of health insurance coverage for pre-term infants and those born with birth defects. The March of Dimes believes that all states must extend Medicaid coverage to pregnant women through 60 days after delivery and automatically enroll infants born to women on Medicaid. The March of Dimes supports 12 months of continuous eligibility, which can prevent needless coverage disruptions. We support determination of eligibility in ways that prevent paperwork from delaying enrollment of eligible pregnant women and children, thus enabling prompt access to health care.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid
Nationwide, CHIP and Children’s Medicaid are extremely cost-effective, delivering comprehensive, affordable health coverage to millions of American children at a cost 31% lower than private insurance.
Texas children deserve that same effective care, so they can grow and learn. Texas taxpayers deserve that same efficiency, so tax dollars are spent on health care. When Texas kids are healthy, everyone wins.
Uninsured Texas Children in Texas
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation (21.6%).
More than 80% of uninsured children have at least one working parent (5), but private health insurance is often too costly for families to afford, averaging over $900 a month according to the Texas Department of Insurance.
Medicaid enrollment dropped by more than 118,000 children in 2006.
More than 70% of Texas children that lost CHIP and Medicaid became uninsured (6). Children without health insurance are four times as likely to rely on emergency room treatment for routine care, at a staggering cost to local taxpayers.
For more information on CHIP, visit the Health and Human Services Commission
For more information on Medicaid, visit the Health and Human Services Commission
For more information about advocacy efforts to improve CHIP and Medicaid, visit Texas CHIP Coalition’s website.
For more information on March of Dimes advocacy efforts, please contact Morgan Walthall, State Director of Public Affairs, at mwalthall@marchofdimes.com or (512) 477-3221.
References:
5. U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement 2005
6. 2006 University of Florida Institute of Child Health Policy study commissioned by Texas HHSC
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