Culver signs bill expanding health insurance programs for kids

DES MOINES - Gov. Chet Culver signed legislation Tuesday that would expand the state's health insurance programs for low-income children, saying it would take the state closer to its goal of covering all children.

Culver signed Senate File 389 at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, which serves local low-income residents in Polk County.

The bill sets aside $5.7 million for the state's Medicaid and Hawk-I health insurance programs, expanding eligibility to children in families with incomes under 300percent of the federal poverty level.

State officials expect that money will help provide coverage to more than 12,000 additional children, with 90 percent of eligible children covered by 2011. Lawmakers have estimated that 30,000 Iowa children are without insurance.

"I believe every Iowan deserves affordable, accessible health care, but for too many Iowans, the high cost of insurance put this out of reach for families in need." Culver said. "Well today we're taking one more step to meeting our administration's goal of making sure that every Iowan is insured."

Culver stressed the bill is just one of many actions his administration will take to try to ensure every Iowan has access to health care.

The legislation spends roughly $500,000 to provide dental care for 11,000 children next year and about $1.5 million to cover 25,000 children in 2011.

Carrie Fitzgerald, a senior health policy associate with the Child & Family Policy Center, called the legislation an important step in the journey toward ensuring all Iowans have health care coverage.

Even if Congress passes comprehensive health care reform, much of the responsibility will still lie with states, she said.

"We believe that Iowa is well-positioned to take on that responsibility," Fitzgerald said.

The legislation creates a council to address the more than 300,000 Iowans without health insurance.