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Saturday,
February 14, 2009
- Maryland /
Regional
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Children's Health Plan Expands, Keeps Baltimore Woman in
Business (somd.com)
- National /
International
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- Opinion
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- Maryland / Regional
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Children's Health Plan Expands, Keeps Baltimore Woman in
Business
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- By Lauren C. Williams
- somd.com
- Friday, February 13, 2009
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- SILVER SPRING (Feb. 13, 2009) -- Angela Newman's job
loss could have meant a health care crisis for her and her
children.
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- Newman, 40, a Baltimore native, was laid off in August
after working 10 years for the University of Maryland as an
administrative assistant, losing her health insurance in the
process.
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- "I marketed myself out of my position," said Newman, who
earned her bachelor's degree, an MBA, and master's degree in
health administration while working for the university, and
was no longer a "good fit" for the position.
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- Newman might have been forced to find another
underwhelming job, but the State Children's Health Insurance
Program or SCHIP, which provides health care coverage for
low-income children, helped her new business get off the
ground -- "Sweet Fortunes," a gourmet fortune cookie
company.
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- "My biggest concern was health care for my children,"
said Newman, who has two sons, Tyler Williams, 9, and Jordan
Williams, 6, who then suffered asthma attacks three or four
times a week, Newman said.
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- SCHIP, which was set to expire next month, was renewed
Feb. 4 and protects coverage of 6.7 million children
enrolled and adds coverage for 4.1 million children. The new
bill, which has been overshadowed by the giant economic
repair bills under discussion in Congress, ensures federal
funding for the state-run program for an additional five
years, with quite a few perks.
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- In Maryland, the MCHIP expansion covers 110,000 enrolled
children and makes another 42,800 children eligible. The
bill also includes dental insurance for all eligible
children.
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- After applying for her sons, Newman received a call
asking if she was interested in applying along with her
children. Just like that, all of them were again insured.
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- "It almost seemed too good to be true," Newman said of
her MCHIP application process. "I was prepared to deal with
major headaches, but they never came."
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- Newman was able to keep her doctors and keep up with
Jordan's medication and treatments. "I'm one of the more
fortunate ones," she said. She still uses MCHIP as her
fortune cookie business is beginning to thrive.
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- "Health care seems so much better (under MCHIP) for some
reason," Newman speculated. "It prevents the health issues
that come with stress," she said with a laugh.
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- With the expanded MCHIP, thousands more Marylanders will
be able to share Newman's experience.
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- Maryland's free health care clinics and centers seem to
anticipate overwhelming success in children's health care
while citing few challenges after President Obama's signing
of the bill.
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- "Every child should have access to health care," said
Steve Galen, executive director of the Primary Care
Coalition of Montgomery County, with 10 programs for about
3,000 children ineligible for MCHIP.
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- Some of Maryland's children would "fall through the
gaps," said Maria Gomez, president and chief executive
officer of Mary's Center, a federally qualified health
center, whose focus is to expand services in Maryland and
the Washington metropolitan area, including having more
providers.
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- Their parents are construction workers, self-employed,
small business owners and cannot afford to provide their own
health care, she continued.
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- "It's a new day in health care," said Vincent DeMarco,
president of Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative.
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- "(We serve) a very large population who could never
qualify for Medicaid, who are now eligible for MCHIP," said
Gomez.
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- The new MCHIP will prove better not only for children,
but for free clinics and other health care providers, she
said. "When you have someone who is not insured, they come
in (to the clinic) when they are really, really, sick or
they go to the emergency room," Gomez said.
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- Under the expanded MCHIP, Galen said, "new people will
be covered by the state instead of the county."
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- MCHIP provides coverage for children in families with
incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or
about $52,800 for a family of three in 2008.
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- "Health care is a family activity -- it makes more sense
to insure families instead of breaking it up," said Galen.
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- Families with incomes between 200 percent and 300
percent of the poverty level will have to pay a premium of
approximately $46-$58 per month. MCHIP also provides free
health insurance for pregnant women and legal immigrant
children who fall below 250 percent of the poverty level, or
a $44,000 annual salary. Coverage is free for children in
families with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty
level, or about $35,200 for a family of three.
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- "The real challenge," Gomez said, "is to make families
who qualify to register for (MCHIP)."
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- Capital News Service contributed to this report.
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- Copyright 2009 SOMD Online.
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- National / International
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- Opinion
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