The Congressional Research Service recently reported that 21 states will run out of money for children’s health insurance if Congress and the President don’t act soon to expand SCHIP.
Nine states will run out of money by March 2008. These states include:
Maryland, which just expanded its SCHIP program to children (under age 19) from families who earn up to 400 percent — that is, $82,600! — for a family of four.
New Jersey, whose Family Care program covers kids from families who earn up to 350 percent of FPL.
And Massachusetts, who like North Carolina, covers kids from families who earn three times the poverty level.
In other words, these states are running out of money because they have expanded coverage to middle-class families, instead of limiting coverage to those poor families who might truly need help.
… Sort of like saying that North Carolina is running out of money because we’ve spent too much on Teapot Museums and Roads to Nowhere … not to mention expanding SCHIP to half the families in the state.
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