State Rep. John Davis Is "Wong" on CHIP

In a letter endorsing Republican Martha Wong's voting record on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), State Rep. John Davis, the Republican incumbent in HD-129, says this:

"In 2003, . . . We made responsible decisions . . . tightening the enrollment process to ensure programs served the truly needy.

(we created) an assets test and shorten(ed) the period of continuous eligibility preserved the CHIP program so it could be a safety net for truly eligible families.

Most people would agree that CHIP benefits should go to truly needy Texas only, not a family with one adult and one child with three vehicles exceeding $50,000 in total value, a family with $160,000 in IRAs, or families driving current year luxury cars, but this is exactly the kind of waste and abuse that was discovered when the assets test was implemented. This kind of abuse had to go. (muse comment: How very Reaganesque of Davis)

Furthermore, the move currently underway to allow more Texans to apply for benefits through a call center will improve convenience for applicants and bring greater efficiency.

. . . this new model will give all applicants more options in applying and tracking their application."

Wow. Davis is responisble for the current way the CHIP program is administered becasue he chairs budget and oversight of the Human Services committee, the committee that oversees CHIP.

But, how disconnected from reality is this guy? In today's Houston Chronicle we learn about a 13-year old boy who suffers from advanced kidney cancer and was dropped from CHIP for FOUR months due to the bureaucratic nightmare that is the CHIP program. I apologize for the length of this, but really, you need to read all of this:

Some legislators and child advocates say Devante's case exemplifies many of the problems getting coverage for qualified children.
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Devante's insurance problems started while he was undergoing treatment for Stage 4 cancer at Texas Children's Hospital earlier this year.

His mother, Tamika Scott, knew the Medicaid coverage for Devante and his two younger brothers was set to expire April 30. In Texas, families are required to renew their Medicaid and CHIP coverage every six months.

Scott submitted the paperwork two months before the April deadline, but officials say it sat unprocessed for six weeks because of a staffing shortage.

When someone finally looked at it, the worker determined Scott made too much money for Medicaid and instead qualified for CHIP, a program for the working poor. The application was forwarded to Texas Access Alliance, a private contractor that was put in charge of CHIP enrollment last year.

Scott said she tried tracking her application, but it was lost in the system. Repeated calls and multiple faxes got her nowhere. As the deadline passed, Scott realized her critically ill boy was without insurance coverage.

"I did everything I possibly could," Scott said. "I would literally get off the phone in tears, crying because they frustrated me so much."

Texas Children's Hospital continued treating Devante. But Scott said the young boy's health was deteriorating, and the clinical trials the doctors enrolled him in weren't working. His cancer was getting worse.

In July, she contacted the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which offered a promising treatment option but couldn't admit the boy without insurance. When she finally heard from Texas Access Alliance, she was told his coverage wouldn't start until Sept. 1.

In August, Scott's mother sent a letter to (Sylvester) Turner's legislative office. His chief of staff, Alison Brock, made a call to the Health and Human Services Commission.

Brock's call stirred some action.
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Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, acknowledges that the state dropped the ball in Devante's case, but she said the mistakes that caused him to lose coverage are being corrected.

I don't think CHIP is something Rep. John Davis should be acting like he is proud of. He knows good and well that around 300,000 children were dropped from CHIP after the Texas Legislature voted for the inefficient Bermuda-based Accenture (Texas Access Alliance).

Davis is on record earlier this year praising Accenture and the work they have done in registering and maintaining CHIP enrollment.

His opponent in the District 129 House race is Sherrie Matula, a 25 year clasroom teacher. Matula believes that the state must fully fund the CHIP program and go back to staffed service centers. She says the Bermuda-based Accenture contract should be terminated immediately before a child dies due to red tape and that we must consider our children our most valuable resource and treat them accordingly.

While there are a whole host of reasons to support Sherrie Matula, getting John Davis out of the legislature and off of Human Services, is certainly a step in the right direction with this CHIP mess.