Enrollment Period Extended for Idaho’s CHIP B and Access Card Programs

Idaho's CHIP B and Access Card programs for children in low-income families will hold a second enrollment period in September after a previous enrollment period that lasted a little more than one week yielded only about 1,300 eligible applicants for the programs, the Spokane Spokesman-Review reports. The programs, part of the state's SCHIP program, have room for at least 5,600 children. Eligible children are in families with annual incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level who either cannot afford insurance or enroll in employer-sponsored insurance programs. The programs provide "lower levels of coverage" than standard SCHIP or Medicaid programs, and families pay part of the cost of coverage, the Spokesman-Review reports. Families in the CHIP B program pay $15 monthly per child. The Access Card program offers families a $100 per child monthly premium subsidy, up to $300 per family, to offset the cost of private coverage. The second enrollment period is scheduled for Sept. 1-14. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesperson Ross Mason said, "We've learned some stuff from the first go-round, and we know we can expand that enrollment period." He added that because the second enrollment period will occur as children are returning to school it could be more successful. Karen Cotton, a project manager for North Idaho Partners in Care at Kootenai Medical Center, said, "This is geared to people who are working, who aren't typically engaged with health and welfare [programs], they don't normally go into the health and welfare office." She added, "That's why I think it's more difficult to reach these families. .... They wouldn't even think that they would qualify for another type of program" (Russell, Spokane Spokesman-Review, 7/21).