The Obama administration today ballyhooed a new Urban Institute report that suggests a path to enrolling 5 million kids in government-sponsored health insurance who are eligible but not signed up. The report says increasing the number of Texas kids on Medicaid and CHIP is “critical” to reaching this national goal.
A few stats mentioned in the report about Texas:
— Texas, California and Florida account for 38.6 percent of all eligible uninsured children in the country.
— The 74.7 percent of eligible Texas kids participating in the programs is “well below” the national average.
Yes, I know, budget shortfall blah blah blah. This is one of those situations where spending a little money here will save you a ton of money there. Kids who grow up healthier turn out better. This is not rocket science. “Saving” money by making kids sicker, which is what the Republican leadership forced on us in 2003, is nothing but a false economy. Getting every eligible kid onto CHIP would be one of the smartest things Texas ever did.