Issue Position: Healthier Families

Issue Position

Currently, Texas ranks dead last in the percentage of adults and children with health insurance.

This is unacceptable. Chris supports expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in order to decrease the number of uninsured children in our state. In 2009, Chris co-authored a measure that would expand CHIP eligibility to include children whose family incomes are between 101 to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

Chris also authored a measure that would allow parents to deduct child support payments made from the income amount used to determine CHIP eligibility. This would reward parents for doing the right thing by paying child support, plus help more families and children qualify for health insurance. This measure was included in an omnibus CHIP bill which failed to be considered on the House floor.

Chris also supports extending the Medicaid enrollment period from six months to one year, as it is in most other states. The six month period is designed specifically to drop children on a regular basis.

Chris also believes we must crack down on insurance companies who deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions or drop people because they get sick.

Chris supports President Obama's health care reform and will work for its implementation in Texas.

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