Here's an issue that you may not have known about. You've probably heard of SCHIP or the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It was passed by Congress in 1997 and provided matching grants for states to develop programs to meet the needs of the many, many children in our country who are uninsured. In order to be eligible for Medicaid, families with children under 6 have to make less then 133% of the poverty line, over 6 it's 100% of the poverty line. According to the United States Department of Health and Human services the 2007 poverty line for a single person is $10,210. For a family of four it's $20,650. Um...wow. That's not so much money. So SCHIP is designed to cover the people that make more then that, up to 200% of the poverty line. Because I think we can all agree that $25,000 is not much money to get decent insurance coverage for your two kids.
Currently, SCHIP covers about 4.6 million children and teens. That still leaves somewhere around 9 million children in our country uninsured. And just in case you're thinking about blaming the illegal immigrants, 80% of people in the US without insurance are US citizens. Different states have expanded their coverage to families above the 200% mark and some adults. Other states have experienced short-falls in funding and have had to close enrollment. Obviously we have a problem. So now we know basically what SCHIP is and what it covers. What's the big deal?
The program expires on September 30th and must be reauthorized by Congress. Democrats what to expand the program to cover kids with higher incomes using a monthly fee and co-pay system based on income. Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell wants to expand the program in his state to cover any child that needs it, regardless of income. Those with incomes too high to qualify could buy the coverage at the state's cost. Republicans say this is a sneaky move by the democrats to usher in universal health coverage. President Bush on the other hand wants to cut the program back to cover only those up the 200% income mark. To give you a figure, that's $41,300 for a family of four.
I just don't think that $42,000 if enough to get quality health insurance for two kids. By not providing some kind of affordable coverage, we are simply perpetuating that cycle of poverty and ill-health. We're over-loading our hospitals and ERs and preventing other people who need it from accessing health care in a timely, affordable manner. I don't understand why the government can't see this. I know it's a complex issue, but instead of cutting funding to a program that has the potential to work, why not increase the funding to address the short-falls in some states and to continue to support the expansion of this much needed program? For a more coherent review of the issue, check out this article at thehill.com.
2 comments:
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So I know that this post is almost two months old, but I find it ridiculous that a family of four is expected to live on $20K a year. I make $25K a year, live at home with my parents where I do not pay rent or electricity or anything like that, and am only supporting myself, and I feel that if I ever moved out of my house without another person to contribute to the finances, I would be living in (or at least very, very close to) poverty. And that's one person on $25K a year. The government is so freaking ridiculous.
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