Pa. House OKs expansion of children's health insurance program
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HARRISBURG -- The state is poised to provide subsidized health insurance to thousands more children in January after the House of Representatives last night approved a bill to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, sending the measure to Gov. Ed Rendell.
Agreement on the bill required a compromise between the Democratic governor and Republican-controlled Legislature, who had clashed over how many additional children should be covered by the program commonly known as CHIP. The House quickly passed the measure 176-19 without any debate.
GOP leaders sought to limit the expansion, arguing it would harm the insurance industry by encouraging families who can afford private insurance to abandon it for state benefits and motivating businesses to cut private health insurance for employees' children.
Top aides to Rendell have indicated he will sign the bill.
The measure would make children whose families earn up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level -- about $60,000 annually for a family of four -- eligible for the coverage, provided they pay a part of the premium. Families with incomes above that threshold would be allowed to participate, paying the full premium, if they meet certain criteria, such as having children whose health problems disqualify them from private insurance coverage.
First Published October 25, 2006 12:00 am
