The following summarizes recent newspaper articles related to children's health insurance coverage in North Carolina and Tennessee.
- North Carolina: North Carolina could save nearly $16 million by shifting SCHIP billing services from the state's employee health plan office to the state Department of Health and Human Services, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Office of the State Auditor, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. The savings would allow the state to enroll an additional 10,000 children in the program, according to the News & Observer. The state employee health plan office processes medical claims through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for $4.88 per claim. However, DHSS uses Electronic Data Systems to process Medicaid claims at 41 cents each. The switch could save $8.4 million annually in processing medical claims, which would allow the state to extend health insurance coverage to an additional 5,200 children. In addition, if DHHS processed SCHIP claims for prescription drugs and medical equipment through Medco Health Solutions, the department could save nearly $7.5 million in added drug rebates, which would allow the program to add 4,500 more children to the program. The report recommends the state health plan office pursue legislation that would turn over SCHIP's billing services to the DHHS. If DHHS took control of SCHIP billing, the program also would receive a one-time payment of $3.5 million to hold in reserve in case of higher-than-expected monthly payments (Bonner, Raleigh News & Observer, 7/25).
- Tennessee: Tennessee health officials will distribute one million applications for its CoverKids program at the start of the school year in an effort to "reverse a slow sign-up rate," the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. The program provides health insurance coverage to children of working families who do not qualify for TennCare. Since the program's inception last spring, 3,408 children have enrolled. There are an estimated 130,000 uninsured children across the state, according to state spokesperson Dean Flener. Flener said officials plan to distribute the eight-page applications in packets given out when parents register their children for school. The applications are available in Arabic, Kurdish, Spanish, Vietnamese and other languages. Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) said, "We are blanketing the state with applications, resources and volunteers to make sure we do not miss any child who could possibly benefit from the CoverKids program" (Connolly, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 7/25).
Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork.org/email . The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2007 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
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