Rio Grande Guardian

New Valley CHIP challenge - signing up 21,000 children

By Joey Gomez

Rosalie Tristan, her son Miguel, and Luisa Saenz attend a news conference on CHIP enrollment.
(Photo: RGG/Joey Gomez)

WESLACO, August 24 - With the school year about to start, Rio Grande Valley healthcare advocates said Friday that working families could soon have an easier time enrolling in the popular Children's Health Insurance Program.

The Children's Health Coalition (CHC) held a news conference to inform families about important changes to CHIP effective Sept. 1. Its leaders said the upcoming changes could make a big difference in extending coverage, resulting in thousands more Valley families being added to the rolls.

They have set themselves a goal of signing up 21,000 children this school year.

“The best part of the changes effective Sept. 1, 2007, is the fact that we can go back to at least the 46,000 CHIP enrollment of Rio Grande Valley children on this same date four years ago,” said Luisa Saenz, director of the Children’s Defense Fund-Rio Grande Valley.

In 2003, the legislature, facing a $10 billion deficit, cut funding for CHIP and made it much harder for parents to enroll their children. This year, the legislature passed HB 109, which reinstates the 12-month enrollment process, eliminates a 90-day waiting period for new applicants, and eases income limits, such as requiring families to include their cars when totaling assets.

“Valley Interfaith leaders traveled to Austin while the legislature was in session to work on the passage of the CHIP program," said Valley Interfaith Co-Chair Maria Sanchez. "Today, we are here to announce that Valley Interfaith is identifying and training leaders in our congregations to work with families in applying for CHIP. We will be working with the CHIP coalition to ensure that all children who are eligible apply for children.”

At the news conference, Sanchez introduced Valley Interfaith leader Rosalie Tristan, a Raymondville mother of three who became known as the face of the CHIP cuts during the 80th legislature because of her frequent visits to the Capitol. Tristan’s son Miguel is ten years old and qualifies to be in CHIP. However, he was one of 27,567 Texas children who lost coverage in October 2006 because the private contractor running the service, Accenture lost the paperwork.

Of the 1.4 million uninsured children in Texas, an estimated 700,000 could qualify for CHIP or Children’s Medicaid. According to state officials, the Valley has a much higher rate of uninsured children – 32.4 percent - than the rest of the state – 22.6 percent – with an additional 64,000 Valley children are eligible for either CHIP or Children’s Medicaid.

The CHC pointed to a Health and Human Services Commission report which showed that in July, CHIP enrollment was 15,367 in Hidalgo County, 7,847 in Cameron County, 1,638 in Starr County, and 442 in Willacy County.

The CHC said that in spite of legislative changes in 2005 intended to increase enrollment, there has been a continual decline instead. The group puts this down largely to enrollment and renewal system errors. In the Valley alone, more than 2,000 children lost coverage between 2006 and July of this year.

According to Dagoberto Garza, of HHSC Region 11, a family of four with income of no more than $41,300 annually could qualify for CHIP coverage.

Of the 1.4 million uninsured children in Texas, an estimated 700,000 could qualify for CHIP or children's Medicaid, according to the Health Coalition.

The Rio Grande Valley rate of uninsured children is higher than the state rate at 32.4 percent compared to 22.6 percent with as many as 64,000 estimated to be CHIP or Children's Medicaid eligible.

“For us in the Valley it means we need to sign up 21,000 to 26,000 children in next school year before the funding again becomes a problem in 2009,” Saenz said.

“So it really is the end of one struggle and the beginning of another or what we like to call the 'Rio Grande Valley Chip Challenge. We're together, we're strong as a Coalition and we are ready to confront the challenges that face us.”

For every $1 the state invests, the federal government gets $2.64 in matching federal funds, a better rate than the $1.55 for every $1 available under Medicaid.

CHC leaders argued that keeping children out of the emergency room also means savings for local taxpayers. Texas school districts lose $4 million in state funding per day due to absenteeism, and uninsured children are 25 percent more likely to miss school, they said.

Saenz also pointed to the looming CHIP battle in Washington between President Bush and Congress. Bush wants to restrict growth of the program. Congress wants to expand it.

“This is the end of a struggle to get CHIP upgraded if you will, but also the beginning of another challenge at the federal level,” Saenz told the Guardian.

"The CHIP reauthorization is coming up for a vote, and although Congress passed it, it still needs to go the President for a signature. He has threatened a veto. We're hoping for an override so that we can get more funding to enroll more children.”