Texas health officials confident children’s insurance program will be renewed
There are nearly 400,000
"We've been watching the CHIP reauthorization issue very closely," said
"HHS believes CHIP is a critical part of the health care safety net in
The federal government covers most of the cost of the program, but some legislation being considered would return the program's federal matching rate to the standard level -- phasing out a 23 percent bump approved in 2015. This would lead to a loss of
The coalition -- which includes the
"Without such funding,
CHIP offers health insurance to children younger than 18 and pregnant women of all ages who fit financial qualifications. To qualify for the program, the child must be a citizen or a legal permanent resident -- a parent's immigration status does not factor into eligibility for the program.
The program seeks to cover children in families that have incomes above the threshold for Medicaid eligibility but don't have coverage through their employer or can't afford private coverage. A family of four in
Families enrolled are typically charged a
Children enrolled in
"CHIP is a safety net program, and I'm telling this to you working at a safety net clinic," said Dr.
Gandhi said the program is vital to
"Without CHIP, all of the medical implications of poverty are magnified and CHIP proves to be a deterrent," he said, adding that living in poverty can put children at risk for chronic diseases and increased stress, which can have an adverse impact on health.
In
To qualify for CHIP, a family's income must be below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. There were 399,026 children and pregnant women enrolled in the program as of June, according to the latest available data from the Health and
"We don't expect any kind of disruption in coverage anytime soon for those kids," said
"For the most part, they're going to be your children with parents that work but that don't really have the funds to afford private insurance or work insurance," he said. "They're working class; they're trying to make sure that their kids have insurance."
While Dominguez is "pretty confident"
"We feel confident that something will get resolved," he said. "We do feel the government will do the right thing."
Without CHIP, families could end up uninsured, said
"We're looking at a situation where they're very likely going to have to look for health care for their children (while) uninsured, and that's not a good place to be for families here in our community, many of whom are very low income, who are trying very hard week by week to get by," she said.
"While
In response to Harvey,
"If the program does end, it's going to be a big issue for
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