Pa. Republicans are in the unusual position of criticizing a Democrat for proposed changes to a popular social program.
Following Governor Tom Corbett’s decision to extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) last week, the party went after Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Montgomery) for her support of the President’s Affordable Care Act.
“Why is Schwartz killing CHIP?” the PAGOP asked Monday.
The federal health care law will push many the state’s CHIP recipients into Medicaid.
“The bottom line is Allyson Schwartz and Barack Obama broke their promise that patients can keep their doctor, and now we deserve answers on CHIP and what additional troublesome impacts Obamacare will have on everyday Pennsylvanians,” wrote party spokeswoman Valerie Caras.
It’s a charge that hits home for Schwartz. She sponsored legislation for CHIP during her first term as a State Senator in 1992. She frequently cites the program as one of her crowning legislative achievements.
With the ACA now in effect, over 50,000 children who had been covered by CHIP will have to switch to Medicaid coverage instead. It affects children in families between 100-133% of the federal poverty level.
The number of children impacted could go up if the state expands Medicaid to families with higher incomes via the ACA (aka Obamacare).
Corbett tried to lobby U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to use the federal money that would go to Medicaid coverage for CHIP instead. Sibelius has thus far rejected his proposal.
Schwartz’s campaign says she, too, wants to see CHIP incorporated into the ACA.
“She supports making sure that Pennsylvania children enrolled in the CHIP program can keep the same doctor and continue to have access to affordable, quality health care,” said spokesman Mark Bergman.
“In fact, six months ago, she called on the Obama Administration to not only eliminate waiting periods but to ensure that CHIP works with the ACA,” he said, referencing a letter Schwartz wrote to HHS.
Bergman said the GOP’s criticism was actually a compliment. Referring to Corbett’s argument in favor of keeping CHIP he said, “According to Governor Corbett, Allyson’s program became a model for the nation and one of the of the successful programs in Pennsylvania history. We couldn’t agree more.”
The situation is complicated from a political standpoint, and there are also questions of what is actually best for Pennsylvania’s children.
Governor Corbett believes that children who are forced to move from CHIP to Medicaid will consequently receive worse coverage. Some children may have to switch doctors, and there are concerns that Medicaid patients receive unequal treatment, although that claim has been questioned.
Obamacare proponents contend that Medicaid expansion will lower costs both for individuals and the state. Furthermore, switching children over to Medicaid could be less complicated as they will be on the same plan as their parents.
Ultimately, the spat underscores the political deftness of Corbett’s “Healthy PA” plan, which was an alternative to the Medicaid expansion prescribed by Obamacare.
Gov. Corbett says he will expand a popular program, and leaves it up to President Obama’s administration whether to agree to his terms.
Keegan Gibson contributed to this report.
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5 Responses
Who is going to pay for all of this?
Being a prior recipient of CHIP for my children after losing employment, I never had any waiting period… Is there a reference to which you refer to this? I will also assure you that the CHIP coverage was far superior to any level of Medicaid insurance.
Oh man. The evil federal government is giving children the same benefits as before but calling it a different name.
Stop the presses.
There are arguments on both sides of this issue as the article notes, but rather than just listing contradictory claims, shouldn’t there be some hard evidence and independent review here. Understand that CHIP is a national program, and although other states may not have the same historical affinity to CHIP as Pennsylvania does–since we invented the program–every other state had to make the same calculations.
The only political deftness here is the Governor effectively punted this decision until after the Gubernatorial election, although that may mean precluding 400,000 Pennsylvanians from getting health insurance coverage until 2015.
There is so much wrong with this. It may be legitimate to debate over whether or not it makes sense to move kids from CHIP to Medicaid, but this is really hyperbole on so many levels.
First, about 20% of the CHIP enrollment would be moved to Medicaid. For most of these kids, they would be enrolled in same health insurance plan as their parents. Imagine the hue and cry of the federal government enacted legislation to force kids into a different health insurance plan from their parents. The rhetoric here seems to imply that somehow Medicaid is a government handout; but CHIP is a government program as well. (And like the ACA, CHIP was enacted first in Pennsylvania by a Democratic Governor over objections by the Republican legislature and then in Congress by a Democratic President over the objections of a Republican Congress.)
It’s also ironic that the Republicans are now lauding the Governor for removing the six month waiting period for CHIP enrollment–some calling that a “no brainer.” Ironic because the Republicans were the ones who insisted on that provision when the law was enacted. They argued that without the waiting period, families would dump coverage for their kids to pick up CHIP, which they likened to a government handout. They said that without the waiting period, there would be rampant fraud. So are the Republicans now saying that they are supporting fraud and abuse? I don’t think so.