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State boosts
low-income kids’
health plan
And a new law means the state
By Helen Altonn
will also fund medical help for
children of legal immigrants
Star-BulletinA long-awaited state program to expand health coverage for low-income children will begin July 1.
Launching of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was to be announced today by state and private officials at a gathering at the Kalihi-Palama Health Center.
Also going into effect Saturday will be a new state law providing state-funded medical assistance for children of legal immigrants who arrived after Aug. 22, 1996.
State CHIP benefits will be available to children of low-income families who don't qualify for Medicaid or QUEST.
The poverty line for Med-QUEST benefits is 100 percent.
Families with income up to 200 percent of the poverty level will be eligible for CHIP.
For instance, a family of three with an annual income of $26,000 could qualify for CHIP benefits, in contrast to a $13,000 income cap for Med-QUEST eligibility.
The federal government pays 53 percent of Med-QUEST costs and 68 percent of CHIP costs.
But Hawaii has been slow to implement the children's health insurance program because of state fiscal problems.
Up to $1.4 million from the state's tobacco settlement money is being used for the program this fiscal year, and $3.8 million will be used next year.
Sylvia Law, researcher and author on health-care issues at New York University, said while on sabbatical leave here last fall that it was "outrageous" that Hawaii hadn't taken advantage of the federal funding.
She said states with worse financial problems were doing a better job than Hawaii caring for children's health.
Hawaii has an estimated 31,000 children without medical insurance.
The state believes about 5,304 children may be eligible for CHIP. But private agencies feel the figure is much higher.
The Hawaii State Primary Care Association has a grant from the Hawaii Medical Service Association to collect health insurance data for children statewide.
Children up to age 19 are eligible for CHIP benefits. They must be United States citizens or permanent resident aliens, have a social security number and be uninsured for three months.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has given the Primary Care Association nearly $1 million to identify and enroll eligible children for the Med-QUEST and CHIP programs.
Barbara Luksch, director of the Hawaii Covering Kids Project, said it has two major goals: "Identifying 100 percent of all eligible children, including immigrants, and simplifying the documentation and verification portions of the application process.
"We're really excited about the new initiative to insure immigrant children," she said. "This is going to help a lot of families."
Luksch said the federal government requires screening first to see if children qualify for Medicaid or QUEST.
If their income level is too high, then they're screened for the state's CHIP program.
Other states have identified as many children for current health insurance programs as they're picking up for CHIP, she said.
For information, call the Kids Health Insurance Hotline through Aloha United Way ASK-2000: 275-2000 on Oahu, or 1-877-275-6569 on the Neighbor Islands.
