Arizona’s health care coverage for children has been up and down. As far back as 2010, lawmakers froze enrollment in the state’s program KidsCare because they said there wasn’t enough funding available. The program applied to children from lower-income families who couldn’t qualify for coverage through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.
The six year freeze ended after the federal government said it would pay for the entire program. There was a legislative fight before lawmakers voted to restore KidsCare but, at this point, nearly 28,000 are enrolled in the program.
A bill being considered in the current legislative session could cause some changes that depend upon whether federal funding drops.
Mary Jo Pitzl, the Arizona Republic child welfare reporter, has been following HB 2127 and discussed the debate with The Show.
