Thousands Of Texas Children May Lose Health Coverage
Thousands Of Texas Children May Lose Health Coverage Save Email Print
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(December 19, 2008)--At least 36,000 children who live in areas affected by Hurricane Ike may not have health coverage next year because their families haven't re-enrolled them in government health insurance programs for 2009.

A spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Stephanie Goodman, said more than half of the 72,000 children statewide who didn't re-enroll in Medicaid are from the Houston and Beaumont areas, which were both hit by Hurricane Ike.

She told the Houston Chronicle her agency is investigating why many families didn't return application renewal forms, which were mailed to their homes.

Children will have coverage through the end of the year as agency workers call families to find out why they did not submit applications.

Medicaid coverage applies to children, whose families are at federal poverty levels, meaning a family of three would earn no more than $17,600.

CHIP coverage is available for a similar family earning up to twice that amount.

Ike stormed ashore near Galveston on Sept. 13, flattening buildings and killing at least 37 people in Texas.
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