The children targeted by MIChild do not have insurance because their families earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but their incomes are at or below 200 percent of the poverty level, or about $32,000 a year for a family of four. Once families begin to enroll in the MIChild program at the end of this month, they will pay $5 per month for a total of $60 per year, with no co-payments.
Compromises in the state Legislature decreased the amount of the original proposed premium - $8 to $16 a month - significantly. Under this plan, children under the age of 18 will have their coverage paid for by managed-care companies with state contracts. Some of the services covered are doctor visits, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, prescription drugs, mental health services, dental services, diagnostic tests and vision screenings. At its full capacity, MIChild will ensure that 97 percent of Michigan's uninsured children will have access to adequate health care.
Much of the credit for this program should be given to the U.S. Congress and the Michigan state Legislature. Created by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, with bi-partisan Congressional support under the leadership of President Clinton, the federal government has set aside $24 billion over the next five years to pay for targeted health care programs like this one across the country. MIChild will receive $27 million in federal money this year and $92 million next year. Gov. John Engler and Michigan state legislators deserve a lot of credit because they have committed $13 million this year to MIChild and $44 million to the program next year. These efforts by both the federal and state government show a genuine desire by politicians to address an aspect of one of our nation's greatest problems - the existence of almost 40 million Americans without health insurance.
Now that the U.S. Health Care Financing Agency has given this beneficial program a green light, state bureaucrats in charge of implementing the program must make sure that Michigan residents know of its existence. The state should set up a toll-free number for citizens to obtain information on MIChild. Too often, government programs designed to help people fail because the people who they are intended to help do not know of their creation. The process has been long and enduring, but state officials must not stop pushing the program or MIChild will not be utilized to its full capacity.