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| Health Secretary Thompson Wants to Work with Wilson to Improve SCHIP Program |
March 13, 2002 |
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Washington, DC--In a Commerce Committee hearing today, Congresswoman Heather Wilson urged Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to ensure that states like New Mexico have maximum flexibility to use their unspent State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) dollars so that funds stay within each state. Thompson said he would be glad to work with Wilson to provide more children with health coverage.
“Considering the difficult financial situation many states like New Mexico will face this year, we need to ensure that states have maximum flexibility to use their unspent funds so we can help those children that need it most,” Wilson said to Thompson.
Wilson is working to keep uninsured children covered through a federal program designed to supplement state efforts at insuring their poorest citizens. Thompson also said as part of the President’s budget, New Mexico may be able to keep up to $200 million over the next several years to fund insurance for low-income children and, potentially, their families. However, the final regulations have not been implemented.
Currently New Mexico is able to use SCHIP funds to cover only 9,412 children, although nearly 230,199 children fall below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. SCHIP covers only children between 185 and 235% of those guidelines. The strict rules for use of federal dollars were designed to encourage states to continue funding their own insurance program, and use SCHIP only to supplement existing coverage.
Wilson will follow up on Thompson’s comments by setting up a meeting with the Secretary and New Mexico state officials to work on this issue.
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