3,000 kids at risk of losing insurance Delegation calls for more SCHIP funds

AUGUSTA – President Bush has refused to submit an emergency budget request to fund a shortfall in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which could lead to more than 3,000 needy children in Maine losing their health insurance coverage July 1.

“This is something we will have to consider when we do the supplemental,” Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine said, referring to Congress considering additional funding for the current federal budget. “This is something that is clearly an emergency for the 14 states that will run out of money, and Maine is one.”

Snowe said she was “disappointed” the president had not included the $745 million supplemental request in his 2007 war supplemental budget that was requested by the Democratic leaders of Congress.

“The bottom line here is that 14 states, including Maine, will see kids lose their health care coverage if we don’t act soon,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, R-Maine. “This is an emergency, and it ought to be dealt with in the supplemental.”

Allen said there is broad, bipartisan support for providing the additional funding among House members. He said the issue is not and should not become a partisan issue.

The program now covers just more than 15,000 Maine children. But Kirsten Figueroa, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said 3,186 Maine children will lose their coverage July 1 without $6.5 million in supplemental funding.The program provides coverage to children in families living below 200 percent of the federally defined poverty level. For a family of four, that is $40,000 a year.

Gov. John Baldacci has joined other governors in urging Congress to make up the shortage. He said the program has been very successful in Maine, covering children in families that make too much to qualify under Medicaid but not enough to afford conventional health care policies.

If Congress doesn’t come through, however, Baldacci said the state will need to find a way to continue the coverage.

“I have asked [state DHHS] Commissioner [Brenda] Harvey to work with joint [legislative] leadership to come up with any strategies that can make sure this does not happen,” he said. “We have to make sure there is some sort of safety net out there for these children.”

Maine is in better shape than many other states. Georgia runs out of money next month, and legislative leaders in that state are planning a recess until after Congress acts before they consider using state funds to fill a $58 million shortfall in a program that covers 270,000 children.

“We realize that we may have to depend on ourselves,” Baldacci said. “I will be looking for the recommendations from the department as to how we can protect the children.”

Snowe said a separate supplemental could be proposed by members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee if money is not included in the war supplemental. She said the war supplemental is preferable because it is a “must pass” measure.

U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, said he supports funding through the war supplemental or through any other measure that can be pushed through Congress in the next few months.

“Following the passage of SCHIP in 1997, Maine cut the number of uninsured children in the state in half,” Michaud. “We need greater coverage, so I would support increased funding.”

Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said she supports any attempt to fund the shortfall this year and is in favor of efforts to expand the program.

“We need to do all we can to continue to help these families and to enroll even more uninsured children in this effective program,” she said. “SCHIP is up for reauthorization this year. I am pleased to be an original co-sponsor of legislation to eliminate these shortfalls to ensure that children currently enrolled in the program do not lose their coverage.”

Baldacci said President Bush’s proposed budget for next year further cuts the program. He hopes Congress rejects the president’s proposed cuts and fully funds the program which covers more than 6 million children across the country.

“But there are 9 million children that it does not cover now,” Snowe said. “I think we need to be expanding this program, not cutting it.”