Issue: Extending KidCare to Cover All Lawfully Residing Immigrant Children

Bill: HB 4023 | SB 704

• House bill sponsored by Rep. Jose Felix Diaz
  • Co-Sponsors: Rep. Campbell, Rep. Clark-Reed, Rep. Manny Diaz, Rep. Fresen, Rep. Gonzalez, Rep. S.  Jones, Rep. Nuñez, Rep. Pafford, Rep. Rodríguez, Rep. Rogers
• Senate bill sponsored by Senator Rene Garcia
  • Co-Sponsors: Sen. Flores

Background:

In 2009, Congress gave states the option to allow legal immigrant children to qualify for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) without having to endure the five-year waiting period that applies to most pub

lic assistance programs for immigrants. Presently, 21 states allow legal immigrant children to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP without a waiting period. Florida does not and legal immigrant children are required to have been living in the country for five years in order to be eligible for Florida KidCare.

Low-income immigrant children who are not insured are less likely to receive preventive health care and more likely to use hospital emergency rooms as their source of health care. Extending coverage to legal immigrant children will likely not only improve their health status, but also reduce the cost of uncompensated care in the health system as a whole. In 2012, Legislative staff analysis of SB 1294 estimated that 20,550 legal immigrant children would be eligible for and enroll in KidCare in 2013.

Cost if enacted for 2013-14: The maximum cost to the state of extending coverage to legal immigrant children would be $17.6 million. To pay for it there is unspent state funds already earmarked for children’s health coverage as well as money freed up as a result of increased federal match rates. This means there is a bare minimum of $39.1 million in state funding available to fund this important coverage. That amount is more than double the amount needed, and is in addition to the $63.4 million in recurring state dollars freed up. Investment in coverage of these otherwise uninsured children will draw down an additional $43.1 million in federal funds.

• Access/download talking points.
• Access/download cost-analysis brief.
• Access/download cost-savings brief

TAKE ACTION NOW:

1. WE NEED CO-SPONSORS! Click here to help us secure more co-sponsors for this legislation.
2. Click here to send Sen. Garcia and Rep. Jose Diaz a note thanking them for agreeing to sponsor this important piece of legislation.
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Bill Tracking:

HB 4023

2/12/13: Referred to Healthy Families Subcommittee; Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee; Health and Human Services Committee -HJ 134

SB 704

2/13/13: Referred to Health Policy; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations -SJ 52

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