HHS told [by 0bama] to withdraw directive tightening SCHIP enrollment

Healthcare Business News ^ | February 5, 2009 - 3:30 pm EDT | Jennifer Lubell

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President Barack Obama has called on HHS to immediately withdraw a directive that set tighter enrollment requirements for higher-income children under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a move that is seen by some as opening the door for state expansion of the program.

The directive, first issued on Aug. 17, 2007, required states to first enroll 95% of children in families earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level—$42,400 for a family of four—before they could enroll children in families earning more than 250% of the federal poverty level.

“These requirements have limited coverage under several state plans that otherwise would have covered additional, uninsured children,” according to a memorandum from Obama. “As a result, tens of thousands of children have been denied healthcare coverage.”

Unless the directive is withdrawn, more children will be denied coverage, Obama said.

The memo was addressed to the secretary of HHS. However, because that position has yet to be filled, Obama from a technical standpoint “is stating the policy is no longer in effect,” said Molly Collins Offner, director for policy with the American Hospital Association. In issuing the memo, Obama is simply following protocol to make sure his request is carried out, she said. Judy Solomon, senior fellow with Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, offered that the memo, coupled with the new SCHIP reauthorization law, “opens doors to states to move forward with expansions that they hadn’t acted on before,” as well as new expansions to the program.

The CMS had reaffirmed its policy in May 2008, shortly before the Government Accountability Office concluded that the agency violated the Congressional Review Act by not reporting the directive to Congress.

Obama signed into law a bill that would reauthorize SCHIP at $32.8 billion over the next 4½ years, offering coverage to 4.1 million additional children. The bill—funded primarily by a 62-cent increase in the federal tax on cigarettes with proportional increases for other tobacco products—is estimated to bring coverage to a total of about 11 million children under the $25 billion program.

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Translation: Give free health care to people who can afford to buy their own.

Subtext: Tax other people who don't need it, and won't get it, to to pay for the "freebie".

[Right Cal Gal]

Amazing, isn’t it? Young adults on their own making $24,000 a year and who (GASP) smoke are being expected to pay for the health care of a family of four making $100,000 a year.

[silverleaf]

hmmm, opening enrollment “immediately”
before the taxes to pay for it are ever collected
if they are collected

weren’t these the same libs who griped that “No Child Left Behind” was an “unfunded mandate”?

[an amused spectator]

Taxes For Thee, But Not For Me!

[lovecraft]

Considering I’m a smoker and my taxes will be paying for this, I will be first in line to enroll my child to save money on my health insurance. This should offset the increased costs of my smokes. jk...or am I? LOL

[listenhillary]

I take it this directive was not in the bill he made such a big production of signing? Poorly written article.

President Barack Obama has called on HHS to immediately withdraw a directive that set tighter enrollment requirements for higher-income children under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a move that is seen by some as opening the door for state expansion of the program.

Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Kinda cool! (Paul Begala)