CHIP enrollment booming but many eligible children still not covered

WESLACO -- Rio Grande Valley enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program has surged since the state Legislature restored some of the program's benefits, but the work isn't done, advocates said Wednesday.

Administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, CHIP is a health insurance program that provides health coverage for children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but can't afford to buy private insurance for their children.

Many local children who are eligible for CHIP or children's Medicaid still aren't enrolled, so more outreach efforts are needed, said Luisa Saenz, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund of the Rio Grande Valley, during a media briefing. The nonprofit child advocacy group promotes enrollment and utilization of children's Medicaid and CHIP.

"We have about 8,000 more children to (enroll in Hidalgo County)," Saenz said.

According to the agency, about 75,000 Valley children are eligible for CHIP or Medicaid but don't have coverage.

Valley enrollment in CHIP has increased by about 28 percent - from about 27,000 to nearly 35,000 children - since September 2007, when changes to the program went into effect. Those changes included eliminating a 90-day waiting period for children to access benefits after they're accepted into the program, increasing the enrollment period to one year and easing asset limits that required families to factor in their cars to determine eligibility.

Prior to last fall, the region's CHIP enrollment steadily decreased over several years, dropping by nearly half from 2003 to 2007.

Despite the gains, advocates can't become complacent, especially during a sluggish economy, Saenz said.

"Whatever economic times we're going through, our priority should always be children," she said.

The Children's Defense Fund is working with 11 school districts in Hidalgo County to identify and enroll eligible children in CHIP and Medicaid, said Olga Gabriel, associate director of the agency's Valley operations.

In addition, the organization has begun a partnership with San Antonio-based supermarket chain H.E.B., said Julie Lara, the company's social-services program director. As part of that partnership, H.E.B. stores in the region plan to host enrollment fairs throughout August,

State Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, noted the federal government more than matches every state dollar spent for CHIP. Also, children can more easily obtain preventive care when they have health insurance, and getting that care is cheaper than trips to the emergency room for routine treatment.

"If you have a healthy child, you have a child who can learn," Gonzales said. "Preventive care is the way to go."