| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
July 25, 2001
ROCKEFELLER ROLLS OUT BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO EXTEND HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
Bill designed to cover parents of CHIP-eligible children
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would take an important step forward in providing health care coverage to uninsured West Virginians. The Bipartisan FamilyCare Act of 2001 would extend health care coverage to the parents of children who are eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid.
"The FamilyCare Act provides Congress with an opportunity to help families that face serious barriers to health care coverage. It makes perfect sense to build upon a program like CHIP that has already proven to be effective. It’s a responsible approach, and it will provide immediate access to health care that is otherwise out of reach for too many working families," Rockefeller said.
FamilyCare would give new resources to states to provide health coverage to parents of children enrolled in CHIP or Medicaid. It would also expand eligibility to children in families up to 200 percent of poverty. For example, a family of three with an annual income of approximately $29,260 would be eligible. And, the legislation would eliminate any waiting lists or eligibility restrictions for children in CHIP. Also, if states have already expanded coverage to parents by granting waivers, FamilyCare would allow states to receive increased funding.
The FamilyCare legislation would also make it easier to enroll families in Medicaid and CHIP by allowing additional organizations, including state child support enforcement agencies, to determine whether children or entire families could be eligible for CHIP or Medicaid.
The FamilyCare system would also streamline the application process to make sure families don’t have to re-enroll constantly, resulting in gaps in coverage. The legislation would also provide CHIP and Medicaid participants with information about other initiatives, such as the national school lunch program.
"States have been doing excellent work to reduce the number of the uninsured through CHIP and Medicaid. We want to continue to work with the states and cast a broader net to reach more people who desperately need access to health care," Rockefeller said.
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