Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Children’s Health Coverage News in Arkansas, Nebraska

Summaries of recent articles about children's health coverage programs in Arkansas and Nebraska appear below.

• Arkansas: Gov. Mike Beebe (D) on Tuesday signed into law a bill that will increase the state's cigarette tax by 56 cents per pack to fund health care programs, the AP/Kansas City Star reports. The tax will take effect March 1 and is expected to generate $87.8 million (DeMillo, AP/Kansas City Star, 2/17). Beebe has proposed using the funding to expand the ARKids First B Medicaid program to children in families with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. The current income threshold is 200% of the poverty level. The proposal would extend coverage to an additional 8,000 children. State Human Services Department spokesperson Julie Munsell estimated that enrollment in the program would increase by 20,000 children because the expansion would publicize the program to families who already are eligible for coverage (Blomeley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/15). The tax increase also would fund a statewide trauma care system, among other programs (AP/Kansas City Star, 2/17).
  
  
• Nebraska: State Sen. Bill Avery (D) has introduced legislation (LB 136) that would increase the income eligibility level for the Kids Connection Medicaid program to 200% of the poverty level, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The current income threshold is 185% of the poverty level; six other states set their eligibility at this level or lower. Jennifer Carter, an attorney with the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest, said, "We need to go to 200% because 200% is really the best measure of families that cannot afford coverage." She added, "They're choosing between food and taking their child to the doctor." According to Carter, the federal expansion of CHIP will allow Nebraska to cover more children. Kids Connection will receive an 86% increase in funding for the current fiscal year from the CHIP law, according to an estimate by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. The CHIP expansion also provides bonuses for states that enroll more uninsured children and makes it easier for states to set up programs to help families pay private health insurance premiums (Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald, 2/16).