Utah Governor Drops Plan To Apply For Federal Waiver To Expand SCHIP

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 26 Feb 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) said he will no longer seek a federal waiver to expand SCHIP to children in families with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The expansion would have made 10,000 additional children eligible for the program. Huntsman's health adviser, John Nielsen, on Thursday said the governor will leave the decision to lawmakers, who could consider an SCHIP expansion as part of a proposed health care reform task force. If the task force is approved, lawmakers will be required to develop a reform plan by November. Nielsen said, "Ultimately, (an expansion) will require funding. (Lawmakers) ought to have a say in what the waivers look like and if they're filed at all." Utah's current income threshold for SCHIP is 200% of the poverty level, and there are about 13,000 open slots available in the program (May, Salt Lake Tribune, 2/22).

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