Utah will start covering some children for medical benefits regardless of immigration status. People’s Health Clinic Patient Access Director Patty Garcia said open enrollment began Jan. 1 for the new Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“The state of Utah is enrolling 2,000 undocumented children under the age of 19, with working parents, to a state CHIP Medicaid program," she said. "And so to qualify, they have to be under the age of 19, living in Utah for 180 days and not having any health insurance or can get any traditional Medicaid or CHIP.”
The plan also has income requirements and people can go to the clinic or their local Department of Workforce Services office to apply.
Community health worker Joana Saucedo said the plan covers a variety of offerings. “It has not only well-child exams, but even hospital and emergency care visits. So that's something that I think would be really helpful for some of our patients that definitely can't afford to just go to the emergency room, and sometimes they avoid that. And that really takes a toll on their health.”
State CHIP also includes dental care, mental health services, vaccines and prescriptions. The People’s Health Clinic hopes to enroll 66 kids and will focus its efforts on children who have the most pressing medical needs.
Saucedo said they want to ensure participants feel safe and emphasized that information will not be shared with immigration officers.
“When we think back to COVID, we see how people of color have been affected the most," she said. "And when we think about children, they're the ones that can be impacted the most as well, especially with their developmental growth. It's great that this is a program for them that they’re able to get the benefits that they need in order to develop properly.”
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the cost of Utah’s program is capped at $4.5 million a year. Utah state Rep. Jim Dunnigan, a Republican who initially opposed the plan but relented after compromises were made that included a cap on enrollment said, “These are kids, and we have a heart.”
