[StBernard] Expanding health insurance for Louisianas children

[Westley Annis]

Expanding health insurance for Louisiana's children
A column by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco 

More than 91,000 children are going without health insurance today in Louisiana. These children are not limited to one background; some live in big cities and others live in small towns, many have parents who work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and all of them deserve access to quality health care.

Now is the time for Louisiana to take proactive steps to provide health care coverage to our kids. We must improve access to primary and preventive care during our children's formative years. Keeping our kids healthy enables them to excel inside the classroom. After all, a sick child can't learn.

It may surprise you to learn that roughly 75 percent of those 91,000 uninsured children, based on family income, qualify for LaCHIP, Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program, but are not enrolled. My Executive Budget includes an investment of $31 million next fiscal year to aggressively enroll all eligible children in LaCHIP, and expand access to those just out of reach. 

Through the LaCHIP program, we are driving down our rate of uninsured children, defying national trends. The Census Bureau reports that at 9.4 percent, Louisiana below the national average for uninsured children, 11.2 percent. Our track record of providing this critical insurance to low-income families is even more impressive. While we have one of the highest rates of poverty, we are proud to have one of the best records of insuring children living in poverty. Nationally, 7.2 percent of low income children are uninsured, but Louisiana's rate is only 5.4 percent. 

We've come a long way, but thousands of Louisiana children still live without health insurance. A pay raise should be good news for anyone. But if a family living on modest wages receives a boost in pay, they may suddenly find themselves ineligible for LaCHIP. Hardworking parents who need help with the cost of health insurance for their young ones may have the rug pulled right out from under them. 

Today we have a plan to expand health coverage to our children. House Bill 542, sponsored by Representative Monica Walker and Senator Diane Bajoie, creates the Louisiana Children and Youth Health Insurance Program. This legislation expands insurance coverage to our children in families earning incomes between 200 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level. That's between $41,300 and $61,950 per year for a family of four. 

Our families are working harder than ever before, yet too many do not have access to employer-based insurance coverage. Even more simply cannot afford private health care coverage. This legislation gives qualifying families a choice between buying into LaCHIP or receiving subsidies on a sliding scale for the purchase of private coverage.

Improving the health and well being of every Louisiana child is within our grasp. Our plan is simple, and we have the financial resources we need. Remember that 91,000 children are counting on us.

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People
www.louisianahelp.org