Texas House Passes Bill To Expand SCHIP Enrollment To More Than 100,000 Children

April 11, 2007 – 3:30 pm | posted in Health Insurance

The Texas House on Tuesday voted 126-16 to tentatively approve legislation (HB 109) that would ease SCHIP enrollment restrictions and expand coverage to more than 100,000 children over the next two years, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Sylvester Turner (D), would eliminate a 90-day waiting period for enrollment; restore the one-year enrollment period; and allow families to deduct income used to pay for child care before eligibility is determined (MacLaggan, Austin American-Statesman, 4/4). For a family of four, the change would increase the SCHIP income eligibility limit from $41,300 annually to $46,100 (Garrett, Dallas Morning News, 4/4). Some lawmakers attempted to apply amendments to the bill or omit key provisions, but the billed passed “largely unchanged,” according to the American-Statesman (Austin American-Statesman, 4/4). The expansion is expected to cost the state $78 million for the next two years but also will bring in additional federal matching funds. The bill now will be sent to the Senate, where it faces an “uncertain future,” the Houston Chronicle reports (Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 4/3).

“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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