Arizona Is Finally Fixing Its Massive Child Health Care Mistake [PSMag.com]

Last Friday, after a false start earlier in the week, Arizonarestored its State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a jointly funded program that serves the working poor (those who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid). Arizona froze enrollment in the program in 2010, citing recessionary budget concerns. Arizona’s decision is a smart one, both for economic reasons — though SCHIP is state-administered, it receives substantial levels of federal funding — and because the evidence clearly indicates that low-income children, their families, and the local economy benefit tremendously from access to health insurance.*

According to a report released last year by the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, 10 percent of Arizona’s children are uninsured. That’s approximately 160,000 kids. Only two other states (Alaska and Texas) have a higher percentage of uninsured children, and Arizona’s dismal ranking is due in large part to its failure to participate in SCHIP in recent years.

[For more of this story, written by Dwyer Gunn, go to https://psmag.com/arizonas-mas...ba23b0f90#.rkq9b68ey]