Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Proposes Resolution To Stop Bush Administration Directive On Restricting SCHIP Expansion

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 21 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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A bipartisan group of 41 senators led by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Health Subcommittee Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Thursday proposed a resolution to prevent a SCHIP policy directive issued last year by the Bush administration from taking effect next month, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 7/18).

According to guidelines issued by CMS in August 2007, before expanding SCHIP eligibility to children in families with incomes greater than 250% of the federal poverty level, states first must demonstrate they have enrolled at least 95% of eligible children with family incomes below 200% of the poverty level. The Bush administration in May sent letters to state health officials to clarify that states can use data on Medicaid, SCHIP or private insurance to demonstrate they had reached the 95% requirement (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/8).

According to CongressDaily, the senators believe the directive is a Bush administration effort to discourage states from expanding SCHIP coverage. The group also believes the directive should be negated because it has not undergone the Congressional review process required of agency rules.

Steven Broderick, a spokesperson for Rockefeller, said that the lawmakers are considering ways to push the bill forward before they adjourn for the August recess, but they have yet to determine a final plan. Broderick said the bill would require a supermajority of 65 votes to be approved in the Senate (CongressDaily, 7/18).

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