ALL >> Insurance >> View Article
What Did Chipra Achieve During 2009?

Almost immediately President Obama took control of the White House, the combined majorities in both chambers were used to enact the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). As has become the norm, the Republican party opposed the law. So, now that we have one year of experience, it's interesting to revisit the Act to see whether this allegedly socialist measure has worked for good or the evil predicted by the GOP. The purpose was to help the millions of children whose parents had fallen on hard times and could no longer afford private family health plans. In effect, the recession was creating an underclass of children who were potentially uninsured. By making an immediate transfer of funds to individual states, local governments were able to expand their own medical coverage programs to admit more families in need. The current estimate is that about 2.5 million children were allowed into either Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This was achieved by a simple change.
All but two of the 50 US states have used the additional federal funding to cover a family of four ...
... where the parents earn up to $48,000. This is significantly more than the national poverty level and allows more people into the state schemes albeit, in all but nineteen states, the parents must pay a small monthly premium and some out-of-pocket expenses. Despite increasing the family income threshold, the extent of the coverage has actually reduced in fifteen states. The politics of entitlement is always a complicated affair. The CHIPRA process has required some states to dismantle some of their bureaucratic barriers. Fast track or express lane procedures have been put in place to avoid long waiting lists and delays. With streamlined enrollment, children have been added to the programs on the basis of immediate need, with the follow-up work of verifying family status and income being completed later. The President's wish to make the children the main focus of attention has been respected.
At an administrative level, there is an improved system for the exchange of information between states, and between states and the federal agencies. The intention is to create a full Electronic Health Record for every child so that, no matter where the child presents with symptoms, his or her records can be made available. If this system can be implemented, the expectation is that the quality of pediatric health care will improve and medical costs will be reduced as the flow of information will improve diagnosis without the need to go through detailed tests every time. There is a budget of $33 billion allocated to cover development of an improved health care delivery service for children.
This is a good report card for the first year of additional and targeted funding. Even though some state governments have resisted the federal plan to increase accessibility to Medicaid and CHIP, the number of children newly admitted is encouraging. So, if none of the health insurance quotes you receive when you use this site's search engine offer you affordable coverage, do not give up. Federal and state funding is available to ensure that your children get the medical treatment they need when it is needed. Of course, this is not going to help if your family earnings are too high. In such cases, you may have to get health insurance quotes for more limited coverage. Otherwise, shop around to find individual doctors or clinics who quote the lowest prices for different treatments. Money can be saved if you take the time to use the internet search engines.
If you are interested in the point of view expressed by Norris Rios, visit http://www.tophealthinsurers.com/articles/health-insurance-for-children.html for more of his professional writing on a whole array of topics that relate people all around the world.
Add Comment
Insurance Articles
1. Nyc’s Top 5 Recording Studios You Need To Know AboutAuthor: victor12johnson
2. How To Find A Health Insurance Broker In The Uk You Can Trust
Author: Finance Advisor
3. What To Look For In A Health Insurance Plan If You Are Buying After 50 In The Uk
Author: Financial Advisor
4. Why Viola Insurance Is Essential For Professional And Amateur Musicians?
Author: micheljordan4
5. Top 5 Most Famous Bassoon Players Of All Time
Author: musicinstrumentsins
6. The Top 10 Most Luxurious Pianos In The World
Author: victor12johnson
7. Understanding Reinstatement Insurance And Its Critical Role In Property Protection
Author: SourceThrive
8. Playing With Purpose - Young Oboist’s Guide To Skill & Safekeeping
Author: musicinstrumentsins
9. The Acoustic Weapon: How The Cello Dominates Contemporary Music
Author: micheljordan4
10. Mitigating Professional Liability - A Forensic Lens On Insurance For Appraisers
Author: victor12johnson
11. Noaa’s Hurricane Call For 2025 Released
Author: D Edward Levy
12. Inside The World Of Global Family Offices: Where Legacy Meets Smart Wealth Management
Author: Drishti Desai
13. The Backbone Of Studio Sound - Why Audio Interfaces Deserve Your Attention
Author: micheljordan4
14. Claims-made Insurance: 5 Key Pitfalls Exposed | Impaakt
Author: Impaakt Magazine
15. Soundscapes Of The Future - The Rise Of Horn Instruments In Modern Music
Author: musicinstrumentsins