Louisiana Senate Committee Approves Bill Expanding LaCHIP to Cover Some Parents and Pregnant Women

The state Senate Health and Welfare Committee on April 25 approved a bill (SB 781) that would expand the state's CHIP program, LaCHIP, to include pregnant women and some parents of enrolled children, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. State officials gradually have raised income eligibility limits to increase enrollment in LaCHIP, opening the program to more than 105,000 children in families with income levels below 200% FPL, or $35,300 per year for a family of four. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Don Hines (D), would allow pregnant women up to 200% FPL and parents in families with incomes below 100% FPL to enroll in LaCHIP. The Advocate reports that about 58,591 parents and 3,878 pregnant women would be eligible for coverage under the new standards. State Health and Hospitals Secretary David Hood said expanding LaCHIP will increase access to primary care in Louisiana, which has the second-worst record in the nation for access to care. He added that allowing parents to enroll would "probably" lead to better care for children. In addition, by covering pregnant women, the bill would correct a "glitch" in current law. "We have pregnant women who can't get prenatal care, but once the child is born, he is covered by LaCHIP. This way, they will get prenatal care as well as postnatal care," Hood said. The expansion is expected to cost the state an additional $9 million in the next fiscal year, rising to nearly $32 million by the fifth year. However, the Senate committee yesterday also approved a bill (SB 883) to create a "Health Trust Fund" to cover the costs of LaCHIP expansion (Redman, Baton Rouge Advocate, 4/26).