State employees may be eligible for CHIP coverage

Children of some state employees could soon be eligible for a free health insurance program.

The federal health care bill passed by Congress in March gave states the option of making their employees' children eligible for the Children's Health Insurance Plan.

Montana health officials said Monday that the state has asked the federal government how to take advantage of the option, which had previously been unavailable.

Health insurance for state employees is subsidized by the state, but they usually have to pay extra premiums to cover family members.

Re p . Ma r y C a f e r r o , D-Helena, said some people earning entry-level wages may not be able to afford the extra premiums to cover their children.

CHIP provides free health insurance to children of families earning up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, or $45,800 for a family of three.

Voters in 2008 approved the Healthy Montana Kids program, which expands eligibility for both Medicaid and CHIP coverage, two programs funded with state and federal money.

The goal of the Healthy Montana Kids program was to provide health insurance for an additional 30,000 children. Since the new standards took effect, just 6,600 children have been added to the government-funded insurance programs.

Anna Whiting Sorrell, director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, said some Montanans may be reluctant to sign up for what they perceive as government assistance, especially those earning between 175 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level.