Minnesota, West Virginia Take Action to Increase Children’s Enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP

While Minnesota has one of the lowest rates of uninsured children in the nation, state Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe (DFL) has introduced a proposal that would provide universal health coverage for children by increasing enrollment efforts for existing programs, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. The legislation would create a group that would offer recommendations on "how to develop" universal coverage (O'Connor, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 3/8). The proposal would also change the application for MinnesotaCare, the state's subsidized insurance program, to allow children to enroll in the program even if their parents do not join, as currently required. Moe said that "at the low end," the program would cost the state about $35 million each year. While the proposal remains a "very high" priority for Senate DFLers, the prospects for passage "appear dim" in the GOP-controlled state House (Baden, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3/8).

Enrollment Concerns in West Virginia
To increase enrollment in the state CHIP program, Gov. Bob Wise (D) has released a promotional video featuring "homegrown" county music star Kathy Mattea, the AP/Charleston Daily Mail reports. In addition, health officials have used "a variety of tactics" to encourage enrollment in the program. For example, the West Virginia Primary Care Association has hired 36 people to visit health clinics across the state to enroll eligible families (AP/Charleston Daily Mail, 3/21). The state must spend $23 million in CHIP funds by Sept. 30 or it will lose some of its federal dollars. Hoping to enrol 26,000 children by June 30, the program's acting director Dot Yeager said, "We're doing everything we can to first find [eligible children] and then ... make sure they see their health care providers" (AP/Charleston Daily Mail, 3/13). Because the state has had difficulty with enrolling children, state legislators are considering moving management of the program from the state Department of Administration to the state Department of Education. The Education Department's computer database lists names of children eligible for free school lunches, which would help the state locate and enroll the children (Seiler, Charleston Gazette, 3/13).