Maryland Health Officials To Work With Comptroller To Identify Families With Children Eligible for SCHIP

Maryland health officials this spring hope to work with state Comptroller Peter Franchot to identify children who are eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP, the Baltimore Sun reports. Under the plan, the state Office of the Comptroller would examine state income-tax records to identify families who qualify to enroll their children in SCHIP and then notify the families via letter that the program is available. Letters will be sent to 22,000 families this month.

Franchot in October 2007 agreed to use the method to identify families for a new Howard County health program. Franchot said he has extended that offer to all counties, and officials in Caroline, Charles, Kent and Talbot counties have expressed interest in such a service. John Folkemer, deputy state health secretary for financing, said that a statewide mailing "did seem like a good idea," adding, "Obviously, it would be more efficient if we can work out something statewide. We're trying to figure out how that can be done."

Folkemer said that information about the state's recent Medicaid expansion to about 100,000 additional state residents also could be included in the mailing. He said, "We're working with the comptroller's office now on how we could do that. It's probably one of the most effective ways we could target the outreach we do." The statewide mailing could go out in June, with the Medicaid expansion and Howard County's program beginning in July, Folkemer said (Carson, Baltimore Sun, 1/4).