One man is standing in the way of helping roughly 30,000 low-income Arizona children have access to much-needed medical care — State Senate President Andy Biggs.
Legislation that would allow Arizona to receive funding for KidsCare, which is the state’s version of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, has already passed out of the Arizona House. Biggs must assign the legislation to a Senate committee before the end of the week — Friday, March 18 — or it will be dead.
Biggs, a Republican from Gilbert, has said he’s not going to assign it to a committee. “I don’t support KidsCare,” he told the Arizona Republic. He is using his power not only to deny thousands of children regular access to medical care, but to prevent the crucial issue from even getting a committee hearing in the Senate.
Arizona children and their families deserve to be heard. Instead, Biggs is shutting them out.
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KidsCare cuts go back to 2010 when thousands of low-income Arizona kids were dropped because of budget cuts. The poorest children, those whose families make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which calculates to roughly $27,820 for a family of three, are covered by the state’s Medicaid program.
But another large group of Arizona children live in households that make between 139 and 200 percent of the poverty level but can’t afford to buy health insurance.
Those kids would be eligible under Arizona’s version of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The legislation that has passed the House would allow the state to access federal dollars to pay for the program.
Research from Georgetown University, cited by the Arizona Republic, has found that Arizona has the highest rate of uninsured children in that income bracket. People, including kids, without regular access to primary care often go untreated or go to emergency rooms where they cannot be turned away. It’s an expensive and unnecessary burden on the health-care system and families.
One of the opponents’ objections is that federal dollars might be available now, but there isn’t a guarantee that the state wouldn’t be on the hook for the program’s considerable expense if that funding source dries up. The House bill, however, accounted for that and includes a provision that if federal funding falls short or ends, Arizona can terminate the program with a 30-day notice.
An Arizona Republic news story points out that Biggs is one of 25 Arizona senators who receive health insurance paid for by state taxpayers.
Biggs should not be allowed to single-handedly shut out low-income Arizona kids who should be able to go to the doctor when they’re sick.
Andy Biggs
