Non-Profit Advocacy Group Says District Provides Substantial Healthcare Access to Underserved Residents
Washington, D.C. – The Foundation for Health Coverage Education (FHCE) ranked the District of Columbia #1 for providing quality healthcare to uninsured residents. FHCE is a national non-profit organization that was formed in response to the growing number of uninsured individuals who are eligible for health coverage but who are not enrolled.
“Quietly, the District has become a national leader at ensuring access to healthcare for our residents,” said Catania. “I am very pleased that our city has been recognized for our achievements in this area.”
Catania cited several expansions in healthcare coverage and benefits over the past several years. In 2007, the Committee on Health, which he chairs, raised the income eligibility requirements of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from 200% to 300% of the Federal Poverty Limit (FPL). For a family of 2 this raises the household income that a child needs to qualify for Medicaid from $26,400 per year to $39,600 per year. For a family of 3 it increased from $33,200 to $49,800. This expansion covered an additional 1,600 children in its first year.
This year the Committee passed and funded the “Healthy DC Act of 2008”. The Act will give uninsured individuals who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid or the D.C. Healthcare Alliance the ability to receive insurance for a modest premium of between $20 and $100 per month. Catania called Healthy DC, “the next step” in achieving universal health coverage in the District
Other recent expansions include increasing the income eligibility requirements for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program, and the addition of an adult dental benefit in the Districts fee-for-service Medicaid program.
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