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Minutes for HB2050 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Updating income eligibility requirements for the state children's health insurance program.
Minutes Content for Thu, Feb 9, 2023
Scott Abbott, Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of HB2050.
Heather Braum, Health Policy Advisor, Kansas Action for Children, provided information regarding HB2050 (Attachment 1). The bill is intended to fix and unintended error that affects eligibility to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The program is a federal-state health insurance program that extends health insurance options beyond Medicaid to families in Kansas. In order to qualify for CHIP, children must be in families that meet income guidelines, calculated using the federal poverty level (FPL) income guidelines percentages. The unintended error is related to the year specific language "2008 federal poverty income guidelines" was included in the final bill that became law. Because of this, Kansas previously had to annually convert and reduce the CHIP eligibility threshold as the current federal poverty income guidelines increase each year. In 2021, Kansas CHIP eligibility at 250% of the 2008 federal poverty income guidelines converted to 225% FPL. A chart was provided to reflect the impact for years 2013 through 2021. A temporary fix occurred last year as the Legislature through a proviso, approved $1.4 million to provided CHIP coverage for kids in households with a total income that fell beneath the 250% federal poverty income guidelines. This is also an option going forward but Ms Braum would prefer that it be fixed in statute.
Ms. Braum responded to questions from the committee.
The following provided written only information:
Dena Hubbard, Public Policy Chair, Kansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Attachment 2)
Nathan Madden, Ph.D., Impact Specialist-Policy, Health Forward Foundation (Attachment 3)
The meeting was adjourned at 1:52 PM.
