Bush SCHIP limits hurt efforts to expand kids coverage, states say
January 3rd, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
Washington — The Bush administration, unsuccessful in attempts to scale back the scope of State Children’s Health Insurance Program legislation, instead is using its administrative powers to rein in the program.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a guidance letter on Aug. 17 severely limiting states’ ability to cover families earning more than 250% of the federal poverty level. Before states could make such a move, they would have to prove that they had enrolled 95% of children at or below 200% of poverty. States also would have to show that private health insurance enrollment had not declined more than 2 percentage points among targeted income groups and that new SCHIP enrollees had been uninsured for one year.