California Official Discusses New Kids’ Insurance Rules
KQED's "The California Report" on Thursday included a discussion with Leslie Cummings, head of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, about implications for California of new eligibility limits for the State Children's Health Insurance Program that the Bush administration released last week (Myrow, "The California Report," KQED, 8/23).
MRMIB is the state agency that administers Healthy Families, California's version of SCHIP.
The new guidelines state that before expanding SCHIP eligibility to children in families with incomes greater than 250% of the federal poverty level, states must demonstrate that they have "enrolled at least 95% of children in the state below 200% of the federal poverty level" who are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP, according to the letter sent by Dennis Smith, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations (California Healthline, 8/22).
Audio of the complete program is available online.