Maryland To Identify Families With Children Eligible For SCHIP

Maryland health officials this spring hope to work with stateComptroller Peter Franchot to identify children who are eligible butnot enrolled in SCHIP, the Baltimore Sun reports. Under the plan, the state Office of the Comptrollerwould examine state income-tax records to identify families who qualifyto enroll their children in SCHIP and then notify the families vialetter that the program is available. Letters will be sent to 22,000families this month.

Franchot in October 2007 agreed to use the method to identify families for a new Howard County health program.Franchot said he has extended that offer to all counties, and officialsin Caroline, Charles, Kent and Talbot counties have expressed interestin such a service. John Folkemer, deputy state health secretary forfinancing, said that a statewide mailing "did seem like a good idea,"adding, "Obviously, it would be more efficient if we can work outsomething statewide. We're trying to figure out how that can be done."

Folkemer said that information about the state's recent Medicaid expansion to about 100,000 additional state residents also could be included inthe mailing. He said, "We're working with the comptroller's office nowon how we could do that. It's probably one of the most effective wayswe could target the outreach we do." The statewide mailing could go outin June, with the Medicaid expansion and Howard County's programbeginning in July, Folkemer said (Carson, Baltimore Sun, 1/4).

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