Lawmakers Secure Health Care for a Busload of Kids - 1,000 Busloads in Fact!
Appearing in photo, from left: Gordon Duvall (green shirt) -- health care provider to at-risk youth, State Rep. John Kefalas (D-Fort Collins), State Rep. Dianne Primavera (D-Broomfield), State Rep. Michael Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs), State Sen. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood), State Rep. Anne McGihon (D-Denver)
DENVER – 55,000 kids would fill 1,000 school buses. If they were holding hands, they would reach 41 miles, from the capitol to Highlands Ranch – and back again! Together, they could form 6,111 little league baseball teams. It is also the number of kids who will have access to health insurance with legislation that will soon be on the Governor’s desk.
It was a historic day in the Colorado House of Representatives. First, lawmakers passed two major bills on an initial voice vote – Senate Bill 160, sponsored by State Representative Anne McGihon (D-Denver) and State Senator Bob Hagedorn (D-Aurora), and Senate Bill 161, sponsored by State Representative Michael Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs) and State Senator Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood) – expanding eligibility and making it easier for families to apply for the Child Health Plan Program and the Baby and Kid Care Program under Medicaid.
Next, lawmakers joined students from Birch Elementary in Broomfield, Colorado – enough students to fill two of those 1,000 school buses – to celebrate the 55,000 uninsured kids who will have access to health care when the legislation passes the House and is signed by the Governor, as it is expected to be.
“We’re working to make sure every Colorado kid has a healthy start,” said Rep. Merrifield amid cheering students. “And getting 55,000 kids – enough to fill 1,000 school buses – the care they need is a really good step toward achieving that goal!”
Senate Bill 161, sponsored by Rep. Merrifield and Sen. Boyd, will help the two-thirds uninsured children in Colorado who are eligible for either Medicaid or the Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), enroll. Right now, the application process acts as a serious barrier for thousands of families.
By reducing some of the paperwork and eliminating the obstructive provision that requires families to submit loads of paperwork, forms and paystubs, lawmakers are making it easier to apply and to get their kids the care they need.
Rep. McGihon emphasized the importance of that legislation, as well as the bill she’s carrying in her remarks.
“55,000 kids – that means there are going to be a lot of moms and dads who won’t have to worry about spending their savings if their child breaks a finger or a foot playing baseball. There are going to be a lot of moms and dads who will sleep well at night knowing that if – God forbid –anything ever happens to their kids, they won’t have to take out a second mortgage or file bankruptcy just to pay the medical bills.”
Senate Bill 160, which she is sponsoring with Sen. Hagedorn, will extend access to the Child Health Plan to a lot more kids. It will also boost the availability of much-needed mental health services.
Specifically, the bill will help more uninsured children get the early childhood care they need by expanding the Child Health Plan Program to families at 225% of the Federal Poverty Level. It will also increase the eligibility for young Coloradans (between 6 and 19 years old) from 100 to 133% of the federal poverty level for the Baby and Kid Care Program under Medicaid. Combined with 161, the two bills are expected to help 55,000 kids access the care they need.
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