Expand the reach of CHIP

Generally speaking, children have little control over their circumstances. That is especially true when it comes to their health care needs. Many working parents can't afford health insurance for their families, and their incomes, modest as they may be, exceed Medicaid requirements.

A decade ago, such families had very few options. That changed with the advent of the Children's Health Insurance Program. More than 6 million children have enrolled in CHIP this year, according to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who was instrumental in the passage of the legislation that created CHIP.

Next week, Congress will consider proposals to enhance CHIP's benefits and to add children to the rolls. There are compelling reasons for Congress to do both.

Although CHIP has reached millions of children, there are more than 9 million American children who lack health-care coverage. Nearly a third of that number may qualify for CHIP.

There are also children who need richer mental health benefits than the plan currently provides to overcome abuse and neglect suffered at the hands of their parents. Children whose parents are methamphetamine addicts can have very intensive needs. Mental health needs should be viewed on par with physical health needs. Just as a child who suffers from chronic asthma cannot be at his or her best until the condition is controlled, a child who has an attachment disorder or serious depression cannot achieve normal benchmarks in his or her personal development and educational attainment until properly treated.

The state's leading law enforcers have called on Congress to authorize $50 billion over the next five years to expand CHIP's reach nationally. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank, who occasionally witnesses the tragedy of untreated mental illness in his work, remarked at a recent press conference that, "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."

Congress should build upon the success of CHIP and make it available to more children whose parents work hard but do not earn enough to buy medical insurance for their families. Likewise, Congress should broaden CHIP's coverage to better address mental health problems that can be every bit as challenging and debilitating as physical illnesses.