Governor Pushes for Changes in Federal Children's Insurance

Governor Haley Barbour is pushing for changes in a bill before the US Senate to reauthorize a federal health insurance program. MPB's Stephen Koranda reports.

The bill would reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, and expand eligibility. Barbour, a Republican, says under the funding formula Mississippi is being “shortchanged.”

“Mississippi has never received sufficient SCHIP funds to cover all the eligible children in our state,” says Barbour. “In fact, the federal SCHIP grant has never been enough to cover even half the eligible children.”

In the past these extra costs have been covered by reallocating SCHIP money other states didn’t use. In most cases children from families making double the federal poverty level or less are eligible for SCHIP, but waivers can be granted to states to include families with higher incomes. Again, Governor Barbour.

“It’s critical Mississippi’s poor children be provided for,” says Barbour, “before children in New York and New Jersey, whose families make $65,000 or even $88,000 per year.”

Democratic 1st District US Congressman Travis Childers supported the bill when it passed the House earlier this month. In a statement he said the bill would help uninsured, low-income children by expanding coverage. SCHIP was created more than 10 years ago. It covers around 80,000 children in Mississippi.