The voters had it right on CHIP

By Representative Chuck Hunter

Healthy Montana Kids, the plan to insure 30,000 Montana children, is in trouble and needs your help. Senate Republicans - notably Dave Lewis - have spent the last week dismantling the program voters approved. Children need your help to reverse their actions.

When Montanans voted on Nov. 4, 70 percent of them said yes to the Healthy Montana Kids plan. They said yes to setting aside dedicated money - about $20 million per year - that could only be used for covering more children. That $20 million will be matched by about $80 million in federal dollars when the plan is implemented as written.

Voters also said yes to insuring 30,000 more kids than are currently covered by Medicaid and CHIP. The funding provided by Healthy Montana Kids would do what the Legislature has been reluctant to do - cover more of Montana’s uninsured children.

And voters also said yes to raising the eligibility limits for insuring children to up to about $55,000 for a family of four. Other states have been at that level for years, while Montana’s CHIP standards have remained among the stingiest in the nation. Health insurance costs for a family of four average about $12,000 per year in the U.S., which is darned hard to afford at $55,000 per year, and still pay for the house, the car, and the food for the family.

Republicans in the Senate are now saying “no,” even though voters said yes. They have removed the dedicated funds for the program. They have cut the number of children that will be covered from 30,000 to 15,000. And they have lowered income standards for those who can qualify for Healthy Montana Kids from $55,000 for a family of four to $44,000.

The Senate majority should honor the plan the voters adopted. They should not tamper with the funding stream. They should not cut half the funding from the program, and throw away $40 million in federal funds, just to give it away to other states that will be happy to have it. They should not deny coverage to 15,000 children - a full half of those who should be covered - to suit themselves. And they should not cut family eligibility by $11,000.
Those of you who voted for Healthy Montana Kids in large numbers need to do something today. And those of you who think that the Legislature should follow the will of the people, not deny it, should do something today. It is not too late, but you need to act.

The Senate will be acting on the major funding bills this week, including taking action on Healthy Montana Kids. If you want to see more healthy kids in Montana, contact Republican senators, and tell them to restore all that they have taken away from our children and our families. Tell them to restore Healthy Montana Kids. To contact legislators, call the Capitol at 444-4800, or go to www.leg.mt.gov and choose the links for “contact a legislator.”

Chuck Hunter is the representative for House District 79, the east side of Helena. He sponsored House Bill 157, which implements the Healthy Montana Kids plan.