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| Vol. IV, No. 4, December 12, 2006 | |
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It's
Time for Affordable Health Insurance
for All Georgia's Kids As part
of the 2006 Georgia KIDS COUNT Tour, Voices for Georgia’s Children offered
a series of Lunch 'N Learn discussions on an initiative to reach many
more uninsured and underinsured children that are enrolled in current
programs. The following article discusses Voices' role in getting insurance
coverage for all Georgia's children.
The timing couldn't have been better when members of the State House of Representatives approached Voices for Georgia's Children in March to host a press conference at the state Capitol. Legislators sought Voices help to cast a spotlight on House Bill 1464, a measure that would expand access to heath insurance for all children in the state regardless of household income. Voices had only weeks before identifying as part of its health agenda a goal to have 96 percent of children in Georgia with health insurance coverage by 2008, just one of several longer-term initiatives that include child safety, education, connectedness and employability. Georgia ranks 41st in the nation for children—currently estimated at 325,000—not covered by public or private insurance. About 87 percent of children eligible for PeachCare and Medicaid are currently covered by these programs. Raising the level to 96 percent could be achieved simply by having 100 percent of the children currently eligible for PeachCare or Medicaid enrolled in a program. The prospect of having a law enacted could virtually guarantee success. A bipartisan coalition of legislators, including Pat Gardner, (D-Atlanta), Children and Youth Committee Chair Rep. Judy Manning (R-Marietta), Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta), Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), and House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Jeff Brown (R-LaGrange) filed the bill. The bill was assigned to the Appropriations Committee where a subcommittee hearing was held. Although it did not pass out of committee, Rep. Brown said at the time that he hoped to hold future hearings on the bill so that it could be evaluated and potentially revised for introduction in the 2007 session. Rep. Brown decided after the session not to run for re-election, but Voices has continued to work with the sponsors to encourage public dialogue about the problem of children who lack health insurance, and to ensure that legislators and other stakeholders are aware of the solutions offered through the bill. Part of that work occurred in the fall when Voices hosted a series of Lunch 'N Learn meetings across the state in conjunction with the Georgia Family Connection Partnership's 2006 Georgia KIDS COUNT Tour.
Voices and other children's advocates endorse this solution because it proposes an expansion of eligibility criteria currently governing Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids to include children whose family incomes are less than $80,000 for a family of four. Additionally, it can leverage state buying power for higher income families to buy insurance. The program expansions would address a significant number of currently uninsured and underinsured children, and any uninsured children with incomes too high for public programs would be insured through an affordable, comprehensive plan whose rates would be negotiated in bulk by the Department of Community Health. Timing seems to be right once again at this juncture: Illinois and Pennsylvania passed legislation to cover all kids in recent months, and other states are considering similar laws; reauthorization of the federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 2007 is looking more probable by most accounts; and affordable health insurance is a primary agenda item in the new look Congress. With little change in the Georgia General Assembly, we expect support from last year's session to carry over into the New Year. More information on a revised proposal to insure all kids will be available soon. In the meantime, it's not too early to contact local representatives, encouraging their support for a bill to get it done. Voices for Georgia's Children engages in research, analysis and advocacy to assist the state's leadership in developing sound policy decisions that improve the well being of children. The independent, Atlanta-based nonprofit seeks to build consensus on a long-term agenda based on measurable goals that will significantly impact childrens' health, safety, education, connectedness and employability. Marc Marton is communications director at Voices for Georgia's Children. Watch Voices' entire policy presentation in QuickTime Download the PowerPoint presentation Featured Articles: |
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