Summary

Expands eligibilty to the CHIP program.

Background

Eligibility for CHIP was drastically reduced during the 2003 legislative budget crunch.

Detail

This bill:
1) Extends the term of eligiblity to twelve months from six, reducing the number of times a child must prove elibility for the program.
2) Adopts the Medicaid definition of "family income," which deducts the cost of child-care and work related expenses.
3) Removes asset tests in addition to income tests
4) Adopts a 90 day waiting period in lieu of a 3 calender month waiting period.

Political Context

This bill is identical to
HB 669 by Coleman, HB 701 by Gonzales, HB 714 by Farrar, HB 715 by Castro, HB 718 by Leibowitz, HB 720 by Bolton, HB 729 by Dunnam, HB 737 by Farias, and HB 739 by Hernandez. Sixty-One representative have said they will fight for the restoration of CHIP eligilibity./1/

Additional Links

/1/Pinkdome with Rep. Oritz Press Release