Hobbs wants to make sure uninsured students have access to health care

OLYMPIA — Children in Washington without health insurance are eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but their families might not know it.

Sen.-Elect. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, wants to change that.

“Our state, and our future, can only be as healthy as its most vulnerable members,” Hobbs said. “If we want a strong, healthy Washington, then we need strong, healthy kids.”

Hobbs is drafting a bill for Washington’s 2007 Legislative Session would direct schools to ask a student’s parents if the student has health insurance. If the family says no or fails to answer the question, the school would then be required to send the family information on Medicaid and CHIP.

Hobbs’ proposal is based on a program in Stamford, Conn., that reaches out to students in public and private schools alike. The Stamford program has been in effect since 2000 and offers needy families hands-on assistance in preparing and submitting applications for coverage.

In Washington, the Department of Social and Human Services (DSHS) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) have worked on a number of projects to help students enroll in Medicaid or CHIPS, with help from the Children’s Alliance. OSPI has developed a database of all students in the state, including their eligibility for free and reduced-price meals, but DSHS has not used that database to help students who lack health insurance. Hobbs believes this information can better identify children who are going without health care.

“We’ve already got the pieces to make this work,” Hobbs said. “If we just fit the pieces together, we can help provide basic health care to kids who are crying for it.”

Hobbs wants to make the program effective as of the 2007-08 school year.

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