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Local lawmakers push health insurance for all children
"It's hard enough to get insurance as an adult, and when you find out your children won't be covered, it's even more difficult;" mother of two, Jenviera Cook said. She and her husband, Joe Cook have gone through piles of paperwork hoping to get their children health coverage after Joe lost his job and Jenviera was moved to a temp worker. "It's really a scary process. You fill out all the paperwork, jump through all the hoops and there's really no one taking your hand, letting you know what to do, letting you know that yes, this did go through, you don't need to worry about it. It's a big question mark and certainly something that could be improved on;" Joe Cook said. DFL Senator Linda Berglin and DFL Representative Paul Thissen announced the "Cover All Kids" bill Monday. The legislation is designed to ensure that all children in Minnesota have access to health insurance. "We don't do a good enough job in this state that of making sure people that are eligible for coverage get it;" Thissen said. The plan will be similar to the one in place through BadgerCare in Wisconsin. There will be no four month waiting period between insurance and eligibility in place for child applicants with MinnesotaCare. Children under the 200% of the federal poverty guidelines will not be charged premiums to participate in the MinnesotaCare program. Children in families above the 200% FPG can still qualify for MinnesotaCare, but will be charged an additional premium based on a sliding-fee scale, according to Berglin. The funding for this bill would come from additional S-CHIP dollars and MinnesotaCare dollars that will be freed up by the stimulus plan; Berglin said. "It would come down to paying the rent or insurance for my children;" Security guard, Howard Worley said. He and his wife have four children and don't have enough money to afford the healthcare offered by Worley's employer. It took Worley two years to pay off the hospital bills after his son developed a face infection. An obstacle both the Worley's and the Cook's shared was not being able to afford the insurance offered by their employers. "Whether you're living in Minnetonka in a big huge home or your living in a Kenmore box down by the river, all children should have the same healthcare;" Worley said.
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