Expert: Wyo. has funds to cover kids on federal health insurance for now

Sept. 28--CHEYENNE -- Children in Wyoming who are enrolled in a federal health insurance program will continue to be covered for the next few months, even if Congress lets federal funding expire Saturday.

That's because the state has enough carryover money in the Kid Care Children's Health Insurance Program to operate unchanged for several months, said Kim Deti, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Health.

"The most important message at this point is that Wyoming families enrolled in the program will not see any immediate impact," she said in an email Wednesday. "We are committed to keeping our program families informed of any future changes, should they occur.

"If the program is not reauthorized, at some point next year, when the available funding is used up, the program in Wyoming could potentially be shut down," she wrote. "Again, we will do everything we can to keep our families informed of any changes well in advance. And it will be several months before this would happen in Wyoming."

Federal money for the nationwide CHIP program will expire Saturday unless Congress acts. The program provides health insurance coverage to about 9 million children from low-income families in the United States and the District of Columbia. An estimated 3,300 children are enrolled in Wyoming.

Congress started the program in 1997 to provide health insurance coverage for kids from low-income families who don't qualify for Medicaid.

At least five states will be out of money for the program by the end of the year, and most will run out next year, unless Congress reauthorizes the program, according to an article in New York Magazine online.

Wyoming is one of seven states whose funding would run out by July 1, based on information in a Roll Call article. This online magazine attributes the source of its information to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

A total of 42 states and the District of Columbia expect they would run out of CHIP money by October 2018, the Roll Call article said.

CHIP operates through a combination of state and federal funds.

The total amount allocated for Kid Care CHIP in Wyoming in the biennium budget for fiscal years 2017-18 is $29.8 million. Of that, slightly more than $26.2 million is expected to come from the federal government.

"We are unable to provide a specific estimate on remaining funding and exact timing for Kid Care CHIP in Wyoming because it is affected by enrollment and premiums to be paid over the next several months," Deti said by email.

"If CHIP is ultimately not extended by Congress, available funding also depends on final decisions from the federal government about their distribution of (the) remaining allotment dollars to states," she wrote.

Both of Wyoming's Republican U.S. senators, John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, support Kid Care CHIP.

"I don't know when reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program will pass, but it is an important issue to those on both sides of the aisle," Enzi's press secretary, Max D'Onofrio, said Wednesday via email.

"Sen. Enzi has been in contact with the state of Wyoming to ensure that the state will not face a funding shortfall in the near future, and children will not lose coverage in the state if Congress is unable to renew the program by the 30th," D'Onofrio said. "(Enzi) has also been engaged with those members leading on this issue in the Senate toward extending this program."

Barrasso backed the program in a statement Wednesday.

"I support the Children's Health Insurance Program," he said. "It has a long history of bipartisan support, and I have every expectation Congress will once again extend the program. Wyoming has enough funding under the CHIP program to ensure patient care is not disrupted for the next several months."

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said via email that CHIP is a vital program for many children in Wyoming and has strong bipartisan support.

"I expect Congress will be able to extend the program before states would face funding losses. I support this important program and look forward to working on the reauthorization bill with my colleagues," she said.

CHIP isn't the only program whose federal money will expire Saturday unless Congress approves an extension.

A program that provides funding for HealthWorks in Cheyenne also is threatened, according to David Squires, its chief executive officer.

HealthWorks is a "safety net provider in the community and a federally qualified health center," he said.

"We treat patients regardless of their ability to pay. We can take any patients who come in," he said. The clinic typically treats a large number of patients who have no insurance or very low incomes and can't afford the deductible for insurance. HealthWorks also welcomes patients with insurance. Payment is based on a sliding fee scale.

HealthWorks funding could be cut by about $1 million a year based on the amount it receives from a federal agency called the Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About 70 percent of HRSA's federally qualified funding could expire Saturday.

That would be a devastating loss for the Cheyenne clinic, Squires said.

"We keep on praying that Congress does something to prevent the funding reduction," he said.

Officials at HRSA have said they likely have enough money in reserve so that most health centers in the country could operate through the end of the year.

"I am hopeful they get it done by Saturday. (But) I don't think they will," Squires said.

He believes there will be enough money for a while until Congress can act, though.

Congress has supported health centers in the past, he said, adding, "I don't see that changing."

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