Maryland Officials To Send Letters to Uninsured Residents Eligible for Medicaid, SCHIP

Maryland health officials this summer will send letters to tens of thousands of state residents notifying them that family members might be eligible for state and federal health insurance programs, the Baltimore Sun reports. The General Assembly earlier this month passed legislation ordering the state Office of the Comptroller to review state tax information to identify residents who could qualify for the programs and notify their families.

One mailing would target residents who will be newly eligible for Medicaid under expanded eligibility rules approved by the Maryland General Assembly. Starting July 1, people with incomes up to 116% of the federal poverty level will be eligible for the program. The other letter would inform residents that family members are eligible for SCHIP or other federal programs. According to Joe Schapiro, a spokesperson for state Comptroller Peter Franchot, the state is not sure how many letters will be sent. Maryland has an estimated 750,000 uninsured residents.

The initiative was inspired by a Howard County, Md., program, in which the comptroller sent out 21,000 letters, that was successful in finding and enrolling uninsured children.

Deputy State Health Secretary John Folkemer said rules issued by the Bush administration that limit SCHIP eligibility to children in families with incomes greater than 200% of the poverty level would not cause the state to stop efforts to enroll children in families with incomes up to 300% because the rules are being challenged by a lawsuit and congressional legislation (Carson, Baltimore Sun, 4/16).