(Newswire.net — January 30, 2018) — With U.S. Congress negotiating to fund the government and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional six years, Fort Worth health insurance families will continue to be able to receive vital healthcare for their children.
With Congress agreeing on a deal on 1/22/18 to fund the government, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is no longer in danger of being eliminated in Texas. This is welcome news for Fort Worth health insurance consumers as they are no longer in jeopardy of having to determine how to pay for minor dependents that the government historically has subsidized.
The CHIP program covers children in low-income families. Most families falling in this income category cannot afford private insurance. Consequently, without state funding their children would be at risk of being uninsured. Now, CHIP funding has been re-authorized for an additional 6 years. Nearly 400,000 Texas children, with tens of thousands from Fort Worth, are enrolled in CHIP. Texas began implementing CHIP in 1999 offering affordable healthcare for children through the age of 18.
Texas, like several other states had begun making preparations late in 2017 in the event the program expired due to funding. Texas CHIP staff were retooling enrollment systems, changing contracts and creating notification letters to families.
Although CHIP has historically been a tremendously successful program in providing health insurance to children in low-income families, nationally around 9 million during its 20-year history, it has also been political. Both parties favorably approve of the program but funding requires periodic renewal with funds being matched and shared by both federal and state governments. Parties have used it as leverage to obtain other unrelated concessions during budgetary negotiations.
In Texas, Hurricane Harvey resulted in unforeseen Fort Worth health insurance needs. After the disaster, it waived fees for CHIP and enrollment spiked. This caused a significant funding shortage.
Insurance4Dallas, a private health insurance brokerage in Fort Worth, is pleased with the extension of CHIP. “This is certainly welcome news for low-income families. Many families would have been in a situation of not having insurance for their most vulnerable and dependent family members,” states Rick Thornton, a Fort Worth health insurance agent.
Recent analysis revealed that about 3.5 million Texas children, about half the children, are enrolled in either Medicaid or CHIP. Medical services are varied covering eye examinations to immunization care. One caveat yet unknown is how many Fort Worth families with children enrolled in CHIP dropped out of the program due to its uncertainty prior to its extension earlier this month. Even if many of these families ultimately return, children are unnecessarily put at risk of being uninsured during a medical emergency.
Insurance4Dallas, (I4D), helps insure all of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Virginia and Florida. It provides consumers with detailed information on health insurance with the ability to purchase health insurance online. Insurance4Dallas provides a full spectrum of health, dental, vision, life and ancillary insurance products, providing a diverse selection of price and benefit options complemented by personal customer service. Available via phone, email or fax, Insurance4Dallas answers consumer questions throughout the purchasing process and during the utilization of its health insurance policies.