Children's insurance at issue

Pinellas will ask the state to fund health insurance for children without coverage.

By CURTIS KRUEGER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 12, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- Pinellas County's Juvenile Welfare Board members say they fear a children's health insurance program could swallow their budget if they assume the job of providing 20 percent of its costs.

So they agreed Thursday to draft an official statement outlining their view that state government should take over financing of the Healthy Kids program without requiring local matching money, which is what happens in the 49 other states, officials said.

Also, a report submitted to the Legislature by Florida Healthy Kids Corp. says the local match requirement should be reduced to 10 percent for wealthier counties, which would slice Pinellas' financing needs in half.

The board's role came into question after Pinellas became the only county in the state that failed to provide the full local match for the program, which insures children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for private insurance. The shortfall of $201,000 meant about 1,500 children were placed on a waiting list.

The Juvenile Welfare Board is a tax-supported agency that finances a variety of Pinellas County children's programs that are designed to strengthen families, neighborhoods and educational performance, and reduce youth problems such as substance abuse, teen pregnancy and juvenile crime.

Children's health insurance fits into that mission, but could usurp it as costs rise, board members said at a meeting Thursday.

"Our basic purpose is much broader than that, and we cannot bankrupt ourselves," Jeanne Malchon said.

"We've really anguished over it," said board chairwoman Myrtle Smith-Carroll, adding that everyone recognizes the need for health care, but the board's other programs also are vital.

The board has contributed more than $800,000 in local match dollars since 1996, but is scaling back its commitment. Because of the rules of the program, some counties pay a smaller local match, or none at all.

"We've got more kids than that on the waiting list for child care, which is an immediate need," said executive director James Mills, referring to those who are waiting for subsidized day care.

Using, state, federal and local dollars, Healthy Kids covers about 168,400 children in Florida, including 5,903 in Pinellas County. In Pinellas, parents pay a monthly premium of $15 per child, plus co-pays of $3 to $5 per office visit, for medical care through a health maintenance organization.

The Florida Healthy Kids Corp. report that recommends lowering the local match to 10 percent for wealthy counties will be a starting point for the Florida Legislature's discussions on what to do, said state Rep. Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, vice chairman of the committee that will hear the report.

"From the legislative side, our goal is to have as many of these kids insured and no children on the waiting list," Farkas said. He said it's likely that some local match will be retained, but he would like to see one that is "more consistent across the board."

Recent coverage

Keep the kids healthy (January 11, 2001)

Needy kids paying for program's funding ills (January 6, 2001)

More local money needed to insure children (January 5, 2001)

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