National Governors Association Urges Congress To Reauthorize SCHIP, Allow States To Determine Coverage Policies

The National Governors Association on Thursday sent two letters to members of the Senate urging lawmakers to reauthorize SCHIP and allow states to determine eligibility levels, CQ HealthBeat reports. The first letter, sent to Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), called for a "timely and full reauthorization" of SCHIP. The letter also called on lawmakers to maintain states' ability to cover residents under state law or federally approved waivers. The governors wrote, "It is important that the program allow governors room within which to establish coverage policies that work best in their state," adding that "no eligible person (should) be denied health coverage because of a lack of federal resources."

In addition, the governors asked that the SCHIP funding formula be based on factors such as states' expenditures, population growth and medical inflation, "as well as providing room for states that choose to expand coverage beyond their current level." The governors also said they support incentives to expand outreach programs to enroll eligible people in the program and rewards for states that meet enrollment benchmarks. The Finance Committee is expected to mark up its SCHIP legislation this month.

The second letter, sent to Sens. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), praised the senators for their work on an SCHIP reauthorization bill (S 1224). The letter stated, "The framework and principles in your reauthorization bill combine increased funding with a general philosophy that options and incentives for states are preferable to mandates." However, NGA wrote that the bill "places new unfunded mandates on states" that "may divert resources that would otherwise be used to fund coverage expansions" (Phillips, CQ HealthBeat, 6/8).


The letter to Baucus and Grassley is available online. The letter to Rockefeller and Snowe also is available online.

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