Family income figures in the SCHIP debate

With the U.S. House gearing up for a Thursday vote attempting to override President Bush's SCHIP veto, there's been a lot of debate about what level of family income would be allowed under the proposed expansion. Some opponents of the SCHIP bill say it would allow families making $82,600 a year to enroll in the program. This figure is based a bill from the New York legislature which would have raised the SCHIP limit to 400 percent of the poverty level, or $82,600 for a family of four. However, this proposal was rejected by the Bush administration, which said "it would have allowed the substitution of public coverage for private insurance."

According to an article in the New York Times, "A recent survey by the Congressional Research Service found that 32 states had set limits (for the current SCHIP program) at twice the poverty level or less, while 17 states had limits from 220 percent to 300 percent of the poverty level. Only one state, New Jersey, has a higher limit. It offers coverage to children with family incomes up to 350 percent of the poverty level, or $72,275 for a family of four." (Source: "Children's Health Bill Dispute Turns to Income Limits", Oct. 17, 2007.)