Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Children Health Insurance Program

Introduction

Today, nearly 43 million Americans have no health insurance. In 1999, 42.6 million Americans, or 17.5% of those under age 65, had no insurance, including 10 million children. In a little over twenty years, the number of uninsured strongly increased since it was only 32 million in 1987. The differences are very important between states since they have some autonomy in setting place of health insurance programs specific. Texas is in last place with almost one in four uninsured, while Minnesota has the lowest proportion of uninsured (8.8%). The lack of coverage is largely correlated with income level. The persons who have renounced purchase health insurance are essentially employees of small businesses or persons located in the bottom of wages. If 9% of those with income exceeds three times the threshold poverty have no health insurance, is the case for 36% of those with incomes below the poverty line (Gadmoski, 2008).

The lack of health coverage poses special problems in facilitating children. Of the 10 million of uninsured children, two thirds live in families whose income is less inferior to twice the poverty line. The restoration of the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 attempted to remedy this situation, including through a federal budget allocation that States can use to improve health coverage for children. These funds have not been used by all States, some states fearing that this program does additional costs in the long term. It also appears that some people involved in the program have not made the necessary steps to benefit. There are also a number of people who could claim public programs help but, in fact, do not. This phenomenon affects in particular children, a significant proportion of children without insurance, fulfilling the eligibility criteria of Medicaid (Sommers, 2007).

History of Children Health Insurance Program

The remote origins of the CHIP program can be traced to state crippled children's programs and mother's pensions, the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921, and the Social Security Acts of 1935 and 1950. These developments were important in focusing attention on dependent children:' initiating federal grants relating specifically to child health, and developing legislative strategies to begin and then to increase categorical benefits. These origins are not cited to confer legitimacy upon CHIP, but it may improve perspective to be aware that federal grants-in-aid for children's health have been around for almost a century and that strategic incrementalism applied to various titles of the Social Security Act goes back to 1950 (Anthony, 2004).

The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSDT), a major component of Medicaid, provides an illustration of this kind of growth. It began as a relatively small Title five program for Crippled Children's Services that President Lyndon B. Johnson slated for inclusion in his child health initiative, prompted by his concern over the high numbers of draftees being rejected because of physical and mental deficiencies. The program was then extended as part of the Social Security Amendments of 1967 to include children ...