From Deseret News archives:

$50 billion sought to insure Utah kids

Officials want CHIP expanded to include mental-health care

Published: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 12:35 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Utah law enforcement leaders called on members of Congress to authorize $50 billion over the next five years to expand and improve the state's Children's Health Insurance Program.

Supporters urged the infusion of cash during a Monday morning press conference at the Salt Lake police station.

Next week, Congress will consider proposals to expand the program's benefits for children and add additional children to the rolls.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was a leading sponsor of the original CHIP law, and local officials are turning to Hatch again to support an increase in funding to include mental-health coverage, especially for children who are abused and neglected as a result of parents' methamphetamine use.

Utah's meth crisis has created a significant problem of secondary victims.

"While high on drugs, meth-addicted parents often leave their kids unsupervised for days at a time," said Jeff Kirsch, vice president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. "When they come down off the high they are often prone to violence. Kids without insurance can't get the help they need unless they have health insurance. We're interested in getting them improved coverage with the same mental health coverage as physical coverage."

Story continues below
Currently, CHIP covers more than 35,000 children in Utah from low-income working families. Without federal funding for the program, many enrolled children will lose their coverage and other eligible children will remain without insurance due to lack of funding.

The number of Utah children who are confirmed victims of abuse and neglect has risen 67 percent since 1998, Kirsch said. Urging support of CHIP, Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller said, "We need to look at the causes of crime. We need to break the cycle of failure."

Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank believes the money in CHIP would be well spent.

"It is far cheaper for us to pay for mental health care and treatment for our troubled children than to pay for some of the most expensive housing that we have in the nation — our county jails and prisons."


E-mail: dramsay@desnews.com

Recent comments

Wonderful idea, interesting messenger... from personal experience, I...

Ann X. Miller | Aug. 24, 2007 at 12:15 a.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

NO MASS EXPENSIVE DEPORTATION IS NEEDED? E-VERIFY IS VASTLY BECOMING THE...

I believe this, and the next few, will be among the best Y hoops years ever....

Students protest animal testing

How about testing the brain power of the owners who have animals which end up...

I'm a stoked to watch RSL tear these clowns to pieces. BOOYAH!

Boozer is doing great and some people are talking about trading him. He is a...

The US may be number one in gun violence but think how much worse it would be...

"Only that Mendenhall tapped into an important component of his team for the...

Utes turn attention to rivalry

I have been to a couple Utah-BYU games in Provo. Both times, I was subjected...

Are you a little confused today John? First...divorced men being compared to...

Re: Give it a rest Who do you call if you have an emergency on Sunday?

Advertisements