Requiring Parents to Have Health Insurance for Kids

None by KCPW

Governor Plans to Mandate Coverage

(KCPW News)A key piece of a new plan devised by top health advisers in the Governor's office to cover Utah's uninsured will mandate that parents provide health insurance for their children. State Health Department Executive Director David Sundwall made the announcement Friday at a conference of the nonprofit group Utah Issues:

"We believe there should be a collective conscience saying this should be a parental responsibility like having your kids wear a helmet when riding a bike or having house or car insurance," says Sundwall. "It really should be a requirement for parents if they're going to be responsible."

Sundwall says the Governor also wants better access to state health care programs for families 100 percent below the poverty line. That could mean asking lawmakers for additional money to re-open enrollment for the Utah's health care plan for low-income children, known as CHIP. Judi Hilman of the Utah Health Policy Project applauds the focus on children, but worries a mandate sends the wrong message:

"There's this assumption that parents have not been covering they're kids because they're irresponsible," says Hilman. "Parents have not been covering their kids because it hasn't been affordable."

Hilman worries that mandating covering will force parents to get a "shoddy" type of coverage that won't be there for them in time of need.

She says the model relies too heavily on market forces similar to the plan in Massachusetts. Sundwall acknowledges a mandate will be a tough sell for conservative lawmakers in the State Legislature.

But he says Republican leaders have already agreed to form a task force to consider the proposal, which also includes several initiatives to make insurance plans more affordable for small businesses. Approximately 300,000 Utahns are uninsured.

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