Maryland House Approves Legislation That Would Promote SCHIP Enrollment
The Maryland House on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to legislation that would create a program to encourage eligible parents to enroll their children in the Maryland Children's Health Program, the state's version of SCHIP, the Washington Post reports. About 90,000 uninsured children in the state are eligible but not enrolled in the program.
Under the Kids First Act (HB 1391), the state comptroller's office this fall would mail notices with state income tax forms informing families with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level that their children are eligible for MCHP. The next year, the tax forms would contain a box asking parents to designate whether their children are insured or whether they were uninsured for 63 or more days during the preceding year. Qualifying families then would receive an enrollment application and information about the program in the mail.
A provision was removed from the bill that would have disqualified parents from claiming a child deduction on their state income taxes if they did not eventually enroll their children in the program. Health advocates praised the mandate, but some lawmakers expressed concern that the loss of tax deductions would cause undue harm to families who do not enroll children because of language obstacles or other issues. If more than 3% of children in the state remain uninsured by 2010, state health officials will look into a program that disqualifies parents for the child exemption, according to the measure. The bill also calls for a study of how to make health insurance more affordable for children whose parents' incomes are too high to qualify for state programs but not enough to afford private coverage.
The bill is expected to achieve final House approval this week and move to the state Senate, where it must be approved before the General Assembly's scheduled adjournment next month (Rein, Washington Post, 3/26).
