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Voices for Ohio’s Children Briefs Ohio Leaders on SCHIP

What: Briefing on SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) for Ohio’s legislative and administrative leaders

When: Thursday, April 24, 9 am-11:30 am

Where: Riffe Building, Room West B & C, 31st floor Riffe Tower, Columbus, Ohio

Who: Amy N. Swanson, executive director, Voices for Ohio’s Children; Mary Wachtel, health policy director, Voices for Ohio’s Children and the Ohio Covering Kids and Families Coalition; John Corlett, Director, Ohio Office of Health Plans; Cindy Mann, research professor and executive director, Center for Children and Families, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute; Gerry Fairbrother, Ph.D. and Lisa Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, FAAP, Child Policy Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center & the University of Cincinnati

Why: The goal of covering all uninsured Ohio children is within reach, but continued bipartisan support is essential. This briefing will provide up-to-the minute information about the impact of the federal barriers preventing Ohio from crossing the finish line of covering all children.

Ohio is a national leader in children’s health coverage. Recognizing that our state is better off when all children have health care, in 2007 a strong bipartisan coalition of Ohio policymakers passed a children's health initiative as part of its 2008-2009 state budget. Demonstrating their unwavering support for Ohio children and families, despite current state budget deficits, Governor Strickland and some legislative leaders have pledged that funding for expanding children’s health coverage will remain untouched. Federal bureaucrats continue to mount hurdles and roadblocks to prevent Ohio from reaching its goal to cover uninsured children, but new developments offer hope for those committed to covering Ohio’s children.

Background: The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has helped uninsured children in Ohio and across the nation to obtain health care coverage for more than a decade. The uninsured rate for Ohio children declined from 9.8% in 1998 to 5.4% in 2004, due in large part to Ohio’s successful Medicaid/SCHIP program

Last summer Ohio’s bipartisan leaders passed a bill to expand coverage to thousands more of Ohio’s uninsured children. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has denied Ohio’s request to expand coverage to more children; but just last week, two new legal opinions called into question the legitimacy of the CMS restrictions. Thanks to strong leadership in Columbus and in Congress, now is the time to make progress on crossing the finish line in children’s coverage.

Amy N. Swanson
Executive Director
330-472-4350
aswanson@vfc-oh.org