Texas CHIP Coalition Minutes
Friday, May 20, 2005, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Thompson Auditorium, 1st Floor
Texas Medical Association
Bryan Sperry called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m.
Attendees: Kathleen Hamilton; Bryan Sperry, Children's Hospital Association of Texas; Susan
Terese, insure.a.kid; Anita McNew, Catholic Charities Diocese of Ft. Worth; Criselda Flores,
Catholic Charities Diocese of Ft. Worth; Sr. Helen Brewer, Seton Healthcare Network; Anne
Dunkelberg, Center for Public Policy Priorities; Patti Everitt, Children's Defense Fund;
Cecilia Cruz MacKay, Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Stella Rodriguez, Texas
Association of Community Action Agencies; Lynn Hudson; Therese Ruffing, Atty & Consultant;
Beth Schlechter, Indigent Care Collaboration ; Darlene Hicks, Texas League of Women Voters;
Melody Chatelle, Chatelle & Associates; Terri Couch, Texas Community Solutions, Inc.;
Ileana Hinojosa, Texans Care for Children; Sonia Lara, Texas Association of Community Health Centers;
Anita Mitchell, Texas Association of Community Health Centers
HHSC Update
Mental health benefits will likely be fully restored to pre-2003 levels (see attachment for
listing of mental health benefits prior to September 2003 and changes that became effective
September 1, 2003  ). The budget conference committee added $3.3 million for restoration of
mental health benefits and redirected $12.4 million from restoration of the 2.5% cut in
provider rates to utilization and enrollment. Vision and hospice care will be restored on
September 1, 2005. The RFP for dental services is due on June 15 and the contract will be
awarded on September 1. Dental benefits are expected to become available December 1, 2005
and each tier will offer preventive and therapeutic services. Families will be assigned to
one of three tier groups based on several criteria. New enrollees will be assigned to Tier
I, enrollees who are deemed from Medicaid will be assigned to Tier II and families who renew
in a timely manner will receive enhanced benefits in Tier III. The maximum annual benefit
for 6-month dental coverage under Tier I is $375, Tier II is $475 and Tier III is $575.
Each tier will have a preventive care benefit in the amount of $175 and the therapeutic
benefit will vary as follows: Tier I $200, Tier II $300 and Tier III $400. Families may
use their annual dental benefit in the first 6 months of coverage. The policy on timely
renewals for enhanced dental benefits has not been finalized; however, it will be the
enrollment broker's primary responsibility to explain the benefit structure to families,
with the assistance of the coalition, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and other
advocacy groups.
The state will use its contract with Sherry Matthew's Advocacy Marketing, which expires
August 31 to place radio spots of Cmmr. Sanchez and Dr. Hellerstadt's brief child
health report to publicize the benefit changes to CHIP. The state will also be developing
fliers for the state communication staff to distribute at community events and health fairs
they attend around the state. Primary responsibility will rest with the health plans to
explain the new benefits to members.
The CBO contracts have been extended through August 31. Ms. Davis could not speak on the
plans of Accenture regarding the use of CBOs; however, it has been suggested by some
policymakers that CBOs will have as much support, if not more involvement than in the
past. The coalition will try to reach Anne Heiligenstein or someone from the OES (Office
of Eligibility Services) to attend the next coalition meeting and give an update on the
status of integrated implementation and the state's expectations of Accenture.
Ms. Davis indicated that approval on the CHIP HIFA Premium assistance waiver is expected
within the next couple of months. The HIFA waiver targets uninsured CHIP-eligible children
whose parents have access to employee-based insurance. The state will give the parent a
subsidy to enroll the family into its employee-based insurance instead of CHIP. The
proposed premium is $150, but will offer fewer benefits than the CHIP benefit packet.
The CHIP and Medicaid rules will be released in June and implementation will be September
1, 2005.
To get a brief update on the latest news from HHSC, subscribe to HHS
E-News.
Anne Dunkelberg asked Ms. Davis about the plans to implement a last-minute rider to
SB1, which authorizes HHSC to begin providing prenatal care to pregnant women under 200%
FPL who do not already qualify for Medicaid maternity coverage, using CHIP funds.
Ms Davis indicated that HHSC had of course been involved in analysis for the rider,
but there was not yet a firm plan or timeline for implementation. Others noted that
there had been concerns by hospitals that the conversion of deliveries by immigrant
mothers (both lawful permanent residents and undocumented women) from "Emergency
Medicaid" to CHIP funding could hurt DSH funding, but presumably these concerns have
been resolved. Dunkelberg noted that all this development work was done behind closed
doors, and no bills or hearings had been held on the topic. The group asked Ms. Davis
to add this policy to the list of topics upon which the Coalition would like regular updates.
Update on CHIP
Patti Everitt gave an update on the actions taken by the budget conference committee on
Monday, May 16. The budget conference committee added $3.3 million to fully restore mental
health benefits to pre-2003 levels. The budget conference committee redirected $12.4 million
from restoration of the 2.5% cut in provider rates to utilization and enrollment. This will
add approximately 20,000 children to the enrollment estimates for the biennium, but remains
more than 150,000 below 2003 enrollment. The committee did not address the matter regarding
elimination or reduction in CHIP coverage for legal immigrant children. There was no
discussion on Article 11 (the "wish list"), which includes items of consideration if
additional revenue is identified.
There was brief discussion by the group for the push for 12-months continuous CHIP eligibility.
The group also discussed formulating a list to get thank yous out to legislators.
Children's Defense Fund is working with other national organizations to address federal
issues regarding Medicaid cuts. Patti Everitt will organize a local meeting in Austin to
discuss the framework from a coalition perspective. If you are interested in participating
in this meeting, please
.
Other Business
Families USA has launched a campaign called Medicaid: It's Personal. Visit their site to access the
different stories told by Medicaid families.
Medicaid Matters is a resource that can help you create personalized materials and
tools for your outreach efforts. For more information, visit the Medicaid Matters site.
The next CHIP coalition meeting will be held on Friday, June 17, 11:00 a.m. -
1:00 p.m. at TMA, 401 W. 15th Street, in the Thompson Auditorium, 1st floor.
With no other agenda items, the CHIP Coalition meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m.
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