350,000 children statewide will stay uninsured, state says

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Associated Press Texas Wire News

350,000 children statewide will stay uninsured, state says

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AUSTIN (AP) - About 150,000 more children from low-families will be

signed up for Medicaid by August 2003 under a new law that that makes it easier

to enroll, but about 350,000 children will remain uninsured.

Kristie Zamrazil, a spokeswoman with the Department of Health, said

the projected figures are based on new enrollment and an expectation that some

children will stay enrolled in Medicaid longer because of the law.

The Medicaid simplification law takes effect in January and calls

for a simpler application process modeled after the Children's Health Insurance

Program, which has enrolled about 350,000 children since its inception last

year.

Under the bill, a 17-page application, as many as 14 forms and 20

verifications of those forms from the Texas Department of Human Services will be

replaced with a single form and fewer verifications.

Children will be covered continuously, with no breaks because of

fluctuations in their parents' income. Re-enrollment will no longer require

face-to-face interviews and can be done over the phone or through the mail.

In-person interviews with state officials only will be required if

parents break the new rules.

The lawmakers who ushered the bill through the Legislature said they

had not heard of the new state enrollment projections, but hope for better

results.

The projection ``disappoints me because of course, I want everyone

who is eligible for health care to receive it,'' Sen. Judith Zaffirini,

D-Laredo, told the San Express-News for its Thursday editions.

More than 1.4 million children are uninsured in Texas.

``By far, I wish I could tell you this (law) is going to erase the

number of uninsured children in Texas,'' said Rep. Garnet , D-Houston.

``It is not. It will particularly not if there is not outreach.''

Slightly more than 1 million Texas children are enrolled in

Medicaid. During the legislative session that ended in May, lawmakers were told

that up to 600,000 Texas children eligible for Medicaid based on family income

have not signed up for the program.

AP-WS-06-21-01 1258EDT