Never let it be said that New York's Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) takes things lying down. Aggravated by federal officials, who seemingly don't want to give him a waiver to expand the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, Spitzer is now saying that he'll consider suing if they don't give in on this.
Spitzer is bucking new rules, announced this month, that restrict such programs substantially. Under these rules, states that want to let higher-income families into the program would need to prove they'd already enrolled 95 percent of children whose parents make twice the federal poverty level. This effectively slams the door on CHIP expansions, given that no state in the country meets that standard. Such rules would force New York, and at least 18 other states, to limit or drop entirely planned expansions.
To find out more about Spitzer's plans:
- read this article from The New York Times (reg. req.)
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Governors fight for future of SCHIP. Report