“Everyone should have access to affordable health insurance. But that’s particular true for children. They are in their formative years, and the healthcare they receive will largely determine their quality of life for their entire adult life.” Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) The Hill, January 31, 2007
THE ISSUE: In 1997, Congress enacted the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide states with federal matching funds to cover uninsured children of families that do not qualify for Medicaid. Since SCHIP’s adoption it has made notable progress toward this goal, reducing the uninsured rate of low-income children by a third, even as the number of uninsured adults has jumped. However, despite these tremendous gains, nearly 9 million children in this country are still uninsured, almost 90% of them are living in working households and a majority in two-parent families. Infants and children through the age of 18 living in families above Medicaid income levels (typically from 133 to 200% of the Federal poverty guidelines) may be eligible for mental health benefits through SCHIP. However, because of stigma, cost, and services gaps, many children are not receiving the mental health services they need. States inclusion of mental health care under SCHIP varies significantly, with some states offering a comprehensive package, many restrictive plans, and some none at all. One study found that children with complex mental health needs would have access to full coverage of needed services in only approximately 40% of states due to limited benefits in the SCHIP plans.
THE SOLUTION: This reauthorization of SCHIP offers a critical opportunity to allow for the millions of children who are still uninsured to receive coverage and to correct the discriminatory limits on mental health care that exist in SCHIP plans across the nation. As Congress is preparing to consider reauthorization of SCHIP, we encourage you to: 1) increase its funding to allow for states to maintain their existing SCHIP programs and to enroll the additional uninsured children current that funding does not allow, and 2) require that this program provide equitable coverage of mental health services. One of the key barriers to treatment for children and adolescents with mental illness is a lack of healthcare coverage for mental illness. Simply providing children with a card that says they have coverage is not sufficient. Many states have imposed restrictive limits on mental health services that are not based on the medical needs of beneficiaries or best practice guidelines, and therefore result in coverage that is inadequate for children with mental disorders. Thus, these children have essentially moved from being uninsured to underinsured in this Federal-State partnership program.
ACCAP POSITION: The AACAP strongly urges support of increasing funding for SCHIP reauthorization and eliminating the disparities in mental health care so all children in public health care programs have access to the same health and mental health services.
THE ISSUE: In 1997, Congress enacted the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide states with federal matching funds to cover uninsured children of families that do not qualify for Medicaid. Since SCHIP’s adoption it has made notable progress toward this goal, reducing the uninsured rate of low-income children by a third, even as the number of uninsured adults has jumped. However, despite these tremendous gains, nearly 9 million children in this country are still uninsured, almost 90% of them are living in working households and a majority in two-parent families. Infants and children through the age of 18 living in families above Medicaid income levels (typically from 133 to 200% of the Federal poverty guidelines) may be eligible for mental health benefits through SCHIP. However, because of stigma, cost, and services gaps, many children are not receiving the mental health services they need. States inclusion of mental health care under SCHIP varies significantly, with some states offering a comprehensive package, many restrictive plans, and some none at all. One study found that children with complex mental health needs would have access to full coverage of needed services in only approximately 40% of states due to limited benefits in the SCHIP plans.
THE SOLUTION: This reauthorization of SCHIP offers a critical opportunity to allow for the millions of children who are still uninsured to receive coverage and to correct the discriminatory limits on mental health care that exist in SCHIP plans across the nation. As Congress is preparing to consider reauthorization of SCHIP, we encourage you to: 1) increase its funding to allow for states to maintain their existing SCHIP programs and to enroll the additional uninsured children current that funding does not allow, and 2) require that this program provide equitable coverage of mental health services. One of the key barriers to treatment for children and adolescents with mental illness is a lack of healthcare coverage for mental illness. Simply providing children with a card that says they have coverage is not sufficient. Many states have imposed restrictive limits on mental health services that are not based on the medical needs of beneficiaries or best practice guidelines, and therefore result in coverage that is inadequate for children with mental disorders. Thus, these children have essentially moved from being uninsured to underinsured in this Federal-State partnership program.
ACCAP POSITION: The AACAP strongly urges support of increasing funding for SCHIP reauthorization and eliminating the disparities in mental health care so all children in public health care programs have access to the same health and mental health services.
