CHIP Enrollment Re-Opens in Utah

None by Eric Ray

New Money Means 47-Thousand Utah Kids Could Receive Coverage

(KCPW News) Enrollment for the state's Children's Health Insurance Program re-opened yesterday. The Utah Department of Health estimates about 47,000 children in Utah can be covered by CHIP, in part because of an additional $4 million provided the program by the Utah Legislature.

Karen Crompton of Voices for Utah Children says enrollment in the program has lagged because it hasn't always been open. She adds others may not be aware of the program, or may not think they are eligible.

CHIP is up for reauthorization on the national level and Congress has resolved to add an additional $50 billion to the program; however actual legislation has yet to be passed. A recent report from Health and Human Services estimates there are just over one million CHIP eligible children in the U.S., far below the census estimates of more than six million. The HHS report has raised the ire of health care advocates like Crompton, who says "now is not the time to play politics with children's health coverage."

Utah children, who are 18 and younger, U.S. citizens or legal residents, not covered by other health insurance, and whose family meets the income guidelines may apply for CHIP coverage. Here is a link to the CHIP application.

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