Pleas rise for kids' insurance funding

2/13/2007

Voices ED Pat Willis is quoted in this article appearing in the Feb. 13, 2007 issue of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Pleas rise for kids' insurance funding
Congress implored to save PeachCare

By Bill Hendrick

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/13/07

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and Gov. Sonny Perdue both promised Monday to do all they can to save Georgia's endangered PeachCare for Kids health insurance program before it goes broke. But both also expressed frustration that Congress hasn't already ponied up the funds, despite urgent appeals.
Leavitt said he and President Bush have urged Congress to plug the funding shortfall. Perdue also has made personal appeals to Bush and leaders of Congress, so far to no avail.

"The administration is committed and believes Congress should act," Leavitt said at a news conference. "The money is available. I feel optimistic and in fact certain that no one need lose coverage."
U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson filed a long-shot measure Monday to add an amendment to legislation being considered this week that the two Republicans said could fix the program, which serves the children of the working poor, on a short-term basis. But observers were hard-pressed to see how such action could do much good, in part because the Georgia lawmakers must get Democratic Senate leaders to OK it.

"This is a response to criticism by Georgia Republicans," said William Custer, director of the Center for Health Services Research at Georgia State University. "This could have a chance, but nobody knows what the Democratic leadership is planning to do to approach this problem."
Even Perdue wasn't sanguine about a PeachCare fix as Leavitt. He said Bush and Leavitt have "a moral commitment" to make sure the federal funding problem is solved and should pressure Congress "very forcefully, using the power of their offices and the influence of their moral persuasion to do that."

They spoke at a news conference after announcing that Georgia will join a nationwide initiative aimed at making employee health plans "more transparent," offering more information to allow workers to make better decisions.

The governor said he supports a bill filed last week by House Speaker Glenn Richardson that would reduce eligibility standards for PeachCare as well as cut dental and vision benefits. Currently, families with incomes up to 235 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible, but Richardson's HB 340 would cut that to 200 percent, trimming at least 21,000 children from the rolls, according to state officials.

Perdue said he supports the bill in part because "we're getting signals from Congress that the 235 is 'rich.' "  At 235 percent, a family of four could make up to $48,000 and be eligible for PeachCare.

Officials say money for PeachCare will run out in March. The state will stop taking new enrollments March 11.

The clock, Perdue said, "is ticking. Time is of the essence. We need [Leavitt] to support the temporary congressional money that's needed. We need the president to support that and we are hoping that both of them will come out and ask Congress to do that."

U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Georgia) visited the state Senate on Monday afternoon and assured lawmakers that members of Georgia's congressional delegation would work to help address the funding gap for the program. Gingrey said it wasn't helpful to play a "blame game" about the funding shortage.

Also, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a possible presidential candidate, talked with reporters about the problem before taking part in the governor's news conference on health care.

"It's absurd to take a program that is running and not fund it," Gingrich said. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure the Congress does its job."
Pat Willis, executive director of Voices for Georgia's Children, said politicians keep talking about saving PeachCare, but that "it's just talk so far."

She said Georgia's children are being penalized because PeachCare is working so well, and she criticized the effort to tighten eligibility requirements.

"We have heard it from the governor, we have heard it from [House Appropriations Committee Chairman] Ben Harbin that they are going to make sure our kids are insured," Willis said.

"Now they're saying they're going to save it by reducing services. That's sort of a funny way to save something."

Staff writers Sonji Jacobs, Jeremy Redmon and Bob Kemper contributed to this article.