HHS gives lower estimate of uninsured children eligible for SCHIP

Fewer uninsured children are eligible for the State Children's Health Insurance Program than previously estimated, says a new Health & Human Services analysis released last month.

Between 689,000 and 794,000 uninsured children are eligible for SCHIP but not enrolled in the program, according to the study, conducted by the Income and Benefits Policy Center of the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan policy analysis organization.

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In contrast, many widely reported calculations, including reports by other Urban Institute staff, conclude that there are 1.7 million to 2 million children who qualify for the program but lack any coverage. This is out of a nationwide total of about 9 million uninsured youngsters. SCHIP covers about 6 million children.

The HHS analysis said larger estimates are due to undercounting the number of people covered by Medicaid and SCHIP in Census Bureau surveys. But Sens. John D. Rockefeller (D, W.Va.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D, Mont.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, criticized the new estimate as politically motivated and questioned the methodology.

"The study flies in the face of all accepted data on the number of uninsured American children who desperately need and could receive health coverage through a renewal of the SCHIP program," Baucus said.

The HHS report concluded that 689,000 SCHIP-eligible uninsured children are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. President Bush's budget proposal calls for limiting enhanced federal matching funds for SCHIP to enrollees at or below 200% of the poverty level.
source:www.ama-assn.org