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State health insurance
coverage for
non-citizen children problematic in several ways
Hinkle: Democrats’ approach is unfair to
law-abiding families, creating a magnet for illegal immigration, and
costing the state millions of dollars
The top ranking Republican
on the
House Health Care and Wellness Committee is not surprised that
estimates of non-citizen children receiving state-funded health
insurance are much higher than predicted and hopes the news will awake
Democrats and the public to the multifaceted problems of
Senate Bill 5093.
Rep. Bill Hinkle,
R-Cle Elum, has been
against the Democrat approach since early in the 2007 legislative
session and believes it is unfair to law-abiding, hard-working families,
creates a magnet for illegal immigration, and will cost the state
millions of dollars for years to come.
Senate Bill 5093, among other things, changed eligibility for the
State
Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to 300 percent of the
federal poverty level – including non-citizen children. The program
previously provided medical coverage to non-citizen children with family
income at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level.
“I’m personally opposed, as many citizens are, to taxpayer dollars being
used for non-citizen health insurance. But regardless of where you stand
on that issue, it’s clear this approach is unfair and demoralizing to
working families who are struggling to pay private health insurance
premiums,” said Hinkle. “In the Democrats’ so-called effort to provide
equality in health insurance, they’ve done the opposite by creating an
inequitable situation – not only for families who have private health
insurance, but all taxpayers.”
The fiscal note approved by the governor’s office for Senate Bill 5093
assumed 6,680 non-citizen children would be added to the state program.
The June caseload forecast council recently raised the estimate to
16,825 – an increase of more than 150 percent.
The fiscal impact of the previously unanticipated 10,100 additional
non-citizen children raises state costs from $29 million to $45 million
in the 2007-09 budget cycle – a 54 percent increase.
“The numbers don’t lie – and they must be understood in the context that
our state health insurance resources were already stretched thin before
this dramatic policy shift,” said Hinkle. “We are now piling on costs
and creating irresponsible spending obligations that would likely be
funded through increased taxes on Washington families and employers in
the future.”
Hinkle points out that more people being encouraged and guided into
state-run health insurance is also bad for competition and consumers.
“This is a big step toward Hillary-care and taxpayers need to be aware
of what this outcome will mean not only to their health care quality,
but their family budgets,” said Hinkle. “It’s a perfect example of
interventionist government eroding the private market’s role in
allocating health care. We are on a path to more costly, less effective
health care in which government makes your decisions for you.”
Hinkle also believes the Democrat approach has created a magnet for
illegal immigration to the state.
“What message do we send people who are here illegally or are thinking
about coming here illegally? The Democrat approach basically encourages
them to ‘come to our state for free public education and health care.’
They’ve essentially created a magnet for illegal immigration,” said
Hinkle. “While immigration reform is predominantly a federal issue,
states have a responsibility to create public policy that combats the
problem – not make it worse.”
Hinkle was appointed to the bipartisan
Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access. The
commission met throughout the last half of 2006 to look at ways to
provide accessible, affordable health care for state citizens, and
submitted a report to the Legislature. The Democrat approach to insuring
non-citizen children was not a recommendation of the commission.
Several Republicans still believe many of the state’s health care
problems
could be addressed by: allowing small businesses to offer health
insurance to their employees that is flexible, low-cost and
mandate-free; changing community rating laws; and letting any
small-group plan qualify for the
Health
Insurance Partnership program.
The
Washington State Population Survey estimates 4.4 percent of children
in Washington were uninsured in 2006, down from 11.4 percent in 1993.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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