After freeze, PeachCare enrolls kids again
June 18, 2007 at 11:22 am by Alyssa Abkowitz in NewsOn June 15, the state Department of Community Health announced that it will reopen enrollment for PeachCare, the health insurance program for children from low-income families. The department will let 10,000 to 15,000 children sign up starting July 12, according to Linda Lowe, a consumer health advocate.
In March, the department froze enrollment because federal money from Congress used to fund the program ran out. While the state covered some expenses for a while, there wasn’t enough money for more kids to enroll. And approximately 5,000 children were dropped from the program each month, Lowe noted in an e-mail, because of late premium payments.
Congress will reassess the funding situation and reauthorize the State Child Health Insurance Program that funds PeachCare sometime this fall, according to Lowe. In the meantime, PeachCare enrollment will be capped at 295,000 children.
Lowe wrote: “This is welcome news and a good first step!”
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