Coderre bill would create ‘All Kids Health Insurance Program’

State Rep. Elaine A. Coderre, D-Pawtucket, has introduced a bill that would extend a program called RIte Track, a payer-of-last-resort system for children up to age 19, and establish a new “All Kids Health Insurance Program” to bring another 1,000 to 2,000 children into RIte Care.
In a news release about the bill, Coderre said RIte Care, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (which covers children and families ineligible for Medicaid), and RIte Track are all “important means” to ensure children are covered.
But she added, “We can, and we must, do better. We must reach more children with these programs – for their welfare and the long-term welfare of the state.”
The bill, which is before the House Committee on Finance, would extend RIte Care eligibility to children from families earning 300 percent of the federal poverty level, up from the current 250 percent. There are about 1,900 uninsured children in this income bracket, and the measure would allow them to enroll in RIte Care for $135 per month.
The bill would also allow families at higher income levels to buy into RIte Care by paying the full cost of the premium, as determined by the R.I. Department of Human Services. An estimated 4,900 children in the state could get coverage that way.
In addition, Coderre wants to reinstate coverage for immigrant children under age 10 who are lawful permanent residents in Rhode Island, restoring eligibility for about 1,100 legal permanent resident children who lost coverage under last year’s state budget, and including an anticipated 200 children per year in the future.
“Thanks to the federal reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), there is now a federal match for this group of children that was not previously available,” she said. “The money is there. We must not leave it on the table when we can use it to provide health care for more children.”
The bill is H-5519. The full text is available at www.rilin.state.ri.us.