On Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, the Arizona House Health Committee advanced House Bill 2309, which would resume enrollment under the KidsCare health insurance program for low income families, according to AZ Central.
Here are five takeaways:
1. Arizona froze KidsCare enrollment in 2010 amid budget cuts following the Great Recession.
2. In 2014, Arizona ended KidsCare, and families were set to get coverage under the federal ACA's marketplace or Medicaid expansion.
3. More than 26,000 children obtained health insurance through the state's Medicaid expansion after the ending of KidsCare. However, families of about 14,000 KidsCare children were sent to the federal marketplace to buy subsidized plans that included cost-sharing requirements like co-pays and deductibles that many families can't afford.
4. Arizona is the only state without a version of the federal Children's Health Insurance Program.
5. The bill would restore KidsCare eligibility for families earning between 138 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or nearly $33,500 to $48,500 for a family of four. Eligible families that earned less would retain their Medicaid coverage.