IN THE STATES: Iowa Seeks Ways of Covering Kids

Joanne Kenen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:24:00 -0400

Iowa this week took a big bipartisan step toward covering uninsured low-income kids, but without yet settling the question of how to pay for it. The Bush Administration last year vetoed bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding SCHIP (the State Children's Health Insurance Program) and issued regulations that make it harder for states to broaden SCHIP eligibility on their own. Slightly more than nine million of the nation's 47 million uninsured are children, and two-thirds of the children are eligible for either SCHIP or Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Still with a striking 97-0 vote, Iowa's House showed a commendable commitment to covering all kids by 2011. The state has also set a goal of covering kids and adults alike by 2013. The state House bill, similar but not identical to legislation that has passed the state Senate, would cost $30.8 million a year when fully implemented, according to the Des Moines Register.

About 25,000 of the estimated 44,000 children without health insurance qualify for HAWK-I, the local SCHIP program for low-income families, according to the newspaper.

The rub, however, is money. States that want to expand SCHIP have run into roadblocks because of a regulation issues last summer that makes it harder for states to expand coverage. Before raising eligibliby to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, states must enroll 95 percent of the eligible poorer children (200 percent FPL), a standard which many state children's health directors say is unrealistic.