Delaware Legislators Propose Health Care Coverage For All Kids In State

House Bill 317 is sponsored by Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington. It will be filed on Friday and would direct the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services to develop and operate a medical coverage program for children in Delaware who are not otherwise covered.

This would include undocumented children. There are approximately 5,000 children who are undocumented in Delaware, according to a release by House Democrats.

Children who are undocumented immigrants are barred from enrolling in federally funded health coverage programs Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and they can’t purchase health coverage through the state exchanges provided by the Affordable Care Act.

Rep. Griffith said under HB317 a child resident in Delaware whose family income is low enough that they would qualify for Medicaid or CHIP would be eligible for coverage and medical care under the state-run program.

“For thousands of Delaware children, there is no viable option for them to get covered,” she said. “A simple trip to the doctor for an illness or to get vaccinated is not a financially viable option. We owe it to these children, many of whom are in this situation not by their own choice, to help them get the same standard of care so many thousands of other young Delawareans receive. The Cover All Delaware Children Act will provide our young residents access to doctors and nurses and the basic medical care they need.”

Eight states — California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington — plus Washington, D.C., currently provide health coverage to children who are undocumented.

HB317 is assigned to the House Health & Human Development Committee. It would take effect Jan. 1, 2023, if it is approved. The expected cost of the bill was not included in the announcement.

House Democrats said providing publicly funded health care coverage for low-income children has been linked to fewer chronic conditions, better overall health, fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits in adulthood and a lower mortality rate.

“Health care is a fundamental human right based on a foundational human need,” Sen. McBride said. “It should never be a privilege of circumstance, especially for our state’s children.”

Staff writer Tim Mastro can be reached at [email protected].

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