NEWS RELEASE
Committee on Energy and Commerce Democrats
Congressman John D. Dingell, Ranking Member

New Research Supports Dingell's
FamilyCare Legislation

Two research papers released today by Health Affairs, a leading health policy journal, show that the number of uninsured people in America could be reduced significantly if Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were expanded to cover parents.

For the past two Congresses, U.S. Representative John D. Dingell, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, has introduced legislation, The FamilyCare Act, that would provide incentives for states to cover the parents of children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. He is planning to reintroduce the legislation again in this Congress within the next couple of weeks.

"The number of uninsured parents in this country continues to increase," said Dingell. "The research released today confirms my belief that we can greatly reduce that number by starting with the parents of children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP."

The first research article, by Lisa Dubay and Genevieve Kennedy, found that almost 70 percent of all uninsured parents (about 7.4 million) would receive coverage if eligibility levels for parents were raised to the same levels states have set for children. Currently, parents in thirteen states must earn less than 50 percent of the poverty level (under $6,245/year for a mother and child) to qualify for Medicaid coverage. An expansion of Medicaid coverage alone would reach half of all uninsured parents.

The second research article, by Sylvia Guendelman and Michelle Pearl, found that children were more likely to obtain continuous coverage and regularly see a doctor if their parents had health insurance. The research showed significant gaps in access to care between children with child-only coverage versus children whose parents were also covered.

The research also concluded that tax credits would not likely be as effective as Medicaid expansions in reducing the number of uninsured Americans. The research papers found that the vast majority of uninsured low-income families do not have access to employer-sponsored insurance and more than half have difficulty paying existing housing or utility bills. It is, therefore, unlikely that they will have additional income to pay insurance premiums.

"Clearly if we want to help the uninsured, and improve children's access to health services, FamilyCare is a giant step in the right direction," said Dingell.

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