Arizona’s Children’s Health Insurance Program Back in Action

July 26, 2016 - The state of Arizona has had a restriction on accepting funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the last several years. Arizona’s CHIP program was known as KidsCare and offered health coverage for children of low-income families who did not qualify for Medicaid and could not afford health plans through the exchanges. Senate President Andy Biggs blocked the acceptance of federal funds for its Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“What we're talking about is a population that ObamaCare is already supposed to cover,” Biggs told the Associated Press earlier this year. “And when people say it's free, it really isn't free, is it, because it's a taxpayer-funded program. So when we start talking about taxpayer-funded program, the question is it state taxes or is it federal taxes, but they're all coming from our taxpayers any way you look at it.”

However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced yesterday in a news release that the freeze is over and it has approved Arizona’s decision to allow new enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

At this point in time, all 50 states offer coverage to eligible adolescents through the Children’s Health Insurance Program. CMS stated that CHIP coverage and healthcare access benefits children’s overall health as well as their ability to do well in school.

Research has shown that children who had CHIP coverage tend to show long-lasting improvements such as better physical health, higher rates of educational attainment, and larger incomes during adulthood.

As of July 26, Arizona has begun accepting applications to the Children’s Health Insurance Program once again. The state ended its enrollment freeze, says CMS. All children from birth until 18 years of age with family income above 133 percent and up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) are eligible in Arizona for CHIP coverage called KidsCare. As many as 30,000 to 40,000 children in the state will now have healthcare access.

As early as September 1, 2016, children under CHIP coverage in Arizona will be able to access medical care. The type of health benefits available under the Children’s Health Insurance Program include dental care as well as primary care, specialty visits, and hospitalization.

Additionally, children who have more specialized needs will benefit greatly due to CHIP coverage eligibility in Arizona. The CHIP program will cover the costs of language and speech therapy as well as physical and occupational therapy.

Families in the state of Arizona who are looking to find out if their children are eligible for healthcare coverage under the CHIP program should take a look at the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment website.

“Today’s approval is a step forward for the health of Arizona children in low-income families,” Vikki Wachino, CMS Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, said in a public statement. “With Arizona’s decision, all states in the nation now provide CHIP coverage to any eligible child who applies. More children in Arizona will have access to coverage early in their lives, which helps kids grow into healthy adults and provides parents with the peace of mind that comes from their children having affordable coverage.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that its Arizona chapter had spent the past six years working to institute CHIP coverage in its state. Starting in 2010, the state had become the only one in the country to lack this type of coverage for children of low-income families.

This enrollment freeze began only several weeks before the Affordable Care Act was passed, which would have stopped any state from making restrictions on eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP programs. In 2013, a temporary KidsCare program was instituted but it soon expired the following year.

This past May, legislation was put forward to reinstate the state’s CHIP program. It was first passed in the House but was temporarily blocked by opponents in the Senate. However, advocates including the Covered Kids Coalition continued to work toward ensuring CHIP coverage for the state’s children.

The Legislature was able to tie the KidsCare re-enrollment into another piece of legislation and the coverage option was finally passed. Children from low-income families will be able to receive medical care by September 2016.

“Frankly, it’s an enormous achievement,” chapter President Delphis C. Richardson, M.D., FAAP, told the news source. “We couldn’t be more delighted.”

It took plenty of effort on behalf of advocates, but the CHIP program was finally passed in Arizona to allow greater healthcare access for kids from low-income families.

“The advocacy message is to be persistent,” Mary Ellen Rimsza, M.D., FAAP, Chapter Board Member, told the news source. “Having legislation enacted is a marathon, not a sprint, but it can be done!"

Dig Deeper:

How the ACA Increased Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP Programs

The History and Evolution of CHIP and the Medicare Program