Boustany Introduces Bill to Make Children's Health Insurance More Effective

Press Release

U.S. Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD, R-Southwest Louisiana, today introduced the Improving Children's Doctor Access Act of 2008, H.R. 6506, to encourage states to measure and report access problems for low-income children in S-CHIP and to ensure that these children remain a top priority in states' enrollment efforts.

"I am proud to support S-CHIP and Louisiana's LaCHIP," Boustany said. "Ensuring children access to a doctor is critical to reducing healthcare costs and shorter waiting lines in emergency rooms across Southwest Louisiana. My bill begins to gather data on the success of S-CHIP nationally in accomplishing its goal. Knowing the program is working is the first step to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent in a responsible way."

When it comes to expanding enrollment in SCHIP, our nation's neediest children must remain the program's top priority. Last year, at least 68,000 low-income children Louisiana remained eligible but were not enrolled in LaCHIP.

Most important, Congress has a duty to ensure SCHIP coverage actually delivers timely care to enrolled children. A plastic government coverage card that only delays access and leads to long lines for care is an insult to low-income families. Studies show children with Medicaid or SCHIP receive fewer recommended check ups and fewer visits with primary care providers than those with private coverage. According to national data from National Committee for Quality Assurance, more than half of parents with chronically ill children in Medicaid reported problems getting needed care quickly.

Parents, children and taxpayers deserve more accountability from the program. Some states still refuse to measure children's access problems.

The bill would:

* require states to indicate in their SCHIP annual reports how many children actually receive a primary care visit;
* encourage states to survey parents and report enrolled children are getting needed care and getting care quickly;
* require states to report their plans to target enrollment outreach to needy children who don't already have private coverage.

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