Hunter SCHIP estimate on target

Hunter contends that the bipartisan legislation to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, vetoed by President Bush on Oct. 3, 2007, is socialized medicine and would allow families earning $60,000 a year to enroll. The socialized part is a bit of overstatement that we won't bother with here. But Hunter is correct—under certain circumstances—about the $60,000 figure. The legislation that would expand the SCHIP program, which sends federal money to states to cover health insurance for children in low-income households, would cover families with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty line. For a single parent with two children, that would be $51,510 a year. For a family of four it would be $61,950.

And, it is possible that families making more money could be covered. In Title 1 Section 114, the SCHIP legislation says states could, if they meet new requirements, be allowed to expand eligibility higher than 300 percent of the federal poverty line. But to do that, states would have to show that they are covering a "target" percentage of children with family incomes below 200 percent before they could go beyond that group.