Thursday, 6 September 2007
HHS Secretary Leavitt Defends New SCHIP Policies
Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, defended the new eligibility restrictions on the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The new stricter policies were put in place to limit the number of children who would be qualified to receive the government-funded coverage.
Rather than depending on the government, Leavitt wants families to take responsibility in buying private health insurance on their own. He also wants states to concentrate more on making insurance more affordable for everyone.
Leavitt and the White House are concerned that too many people will choose government care over private coverage if the health insurance program continues to expand. But many state’s SCHIP programs are covering children in families up to 350% of the federal poverty level — and some states have extended coverage to adults.
Both Leavitt and the White House want children who are covered by SCHIP to be no more than 250% of the poverty level.
“We believe SCHIP was intended to be for low-income children,” reiterated Leavitt in an Associated Press article.
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