After Decades of Success, Kids’ Health Care Threatened

March 23, 2015

By Linda Merrell

While many of us might disagree on policies and laws when it comes to health care, I think we all can agree that the health and well-being of our children should be a top priority.

Florida did make child health a priority years ago, as one of three pioneer states in the nation to improve coverage for uninsured low-income children under the Florida Healthy Kids pilot program — later named Florida KidCare. In 1992, the Florida Healthy Kids pilot program began in Volusia County, at the time covering 5,000 previously uninsured children. That initial pilot led the way for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to take root here in Florida, and then across the country. Access to care through coverage still remains as the most critical aspect for children’s health today. That coverage is now in danger of being lost.

For this reason, it is imperative that Congress quickly extend funding for CHIP. Although Congress reauthorized CHIP until 2019, funding for the program is currently set to expire in September. If funding for the program is not extended, the nearly 400,000 children impacted by CHIP throughout the year will lose their health coverage.

Congress created CHIP in 1997 based on the Florida model, with the intention of giving low-income families a health coverage option for their children even though they earned a little too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid coverage. CHIP offers low-cost health coverage for eligible children whose families would otherwise be unable to afford coverage for them. The program has been successful since its enactment in 1997, especially because the program has enjoyed broad bipartisan support.

CHIP in Florida is part of the Florida KidCare program, and includes Florida Healthy Kids, MediKids and Children’s Medical Services. The children in KidCare are enrolled in plans with lower premiums, and lower out of pocket costs than private coverage. CHIP also offers better access to critical vision and dental check-ups. CHIP provides the best opportunity for children in hard-working yet low-income families to access the health care system. Children enrolled in CHIP are significantly less likely to have unmet or delayed needs for medical care, dental care and prescription drugs due to costs compared with low-income uninsured children.

Even better news: If CHIP funding is extended, the state’s annual cost will drop from $80 million to $20 million, thanks to increased federal matching funds.

Extending CHIP would ensure that Florida children continue to have affordable health insurance. In Florida, there are approximately 180,000 children currently covered through CHIP. CHIP helped reduce Florida’s rate of uninsured children from 17 percent to 11 percent over the past six years.

If CHIP funding is not continued, that will leave millions of children across the nation without health insurance. Hard-working, low-income families across the nation will be faced with hard decisions such as, “Should I pay for my child’s health insurance this month, or should I pay the rent?” These are circumstances parents should not be dealing with, especially when programs such as CHIP exist. The loss of health care would also have a large ripple effect on the entire child welfare system impacting many of the supportive programs that are essential for child development and welfare. The whole child welfare network could unravel. We need to ensure our children have the opportunity to become healthy adults.

It is of great importance that Florida continues its success and genuine commitment to improving access to health care coverage for children.

It makes sense to continue funding this highly valued, bipartisan-supported child health program beyond September, ensuring the groundwork initially laid in Volusia County does not go to waste.

Merrell, of Ormond Beach, is a longtime children’s health advocate who lobbied extensively to create and fund Florida KidCare.