Health Insurance for Children

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 18, 2012
By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. Two freshmen legislators ushered through a child health insurance bill many parents will be glad to see. Representative Alex Atwood, an attorney from Brunswick in House District 179, finished his first two-year term in the General Assembly with a rare victory for freshmen legislators. When I met Mr. Atwood, I was, particularly, impressed with his enthusiasm about a child health insurance bill he introduced February 27th. It passed the House 161 to 1 a week later and, believe me, that’s fast!

Representative Atwood explained H.B. 1166 this way, “We now have a voluntary, low-cost insurance option available to hard-working Georgians that will allow them to protect their children.” He particularly thanked the young law students of Georgia State University who helped draft the legislation.

H.B. 1166 didn’t slow down in the Senate, either. Another freshman, Senator William Ligon of District 3 in Brunswick, sponsored it in the Senate, where it passed 42 to 2 three weeks later. That quick handling reflects the need for private health insurance policies for children to be available in-state for Georgia families. H.B. 1166 requires individual health insurance plans to offer at least one child-only policy to families with children under age 19.

Senator Ligon was equally thrilled when H.B. 1166 passed the Senate. He said, “During a time when insurance rates are at an all-time high, this bill provides a cost effective alternative for families seeking to insure their children.”

Children’s health insurance policies were always available in Georgia until Obamacare passed, causing insurance carriers to stop offering child-only plans, fearing push-back from that law. Parents qualifying for insurance under H.B. 1166 are those that lost employer-sponsored health insurance or involuntarily lost other health care during the preceding 30 days. However, H.B. 1166 coverage will not be offered if previous insurance was terminated for failing to pay premiums.

Governor Deal signed H.B. 1166 on May 1st and by January 1, 2013 parents in Georgia can buy child-only health insurance for children under 19. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler,
your Capitol correspondent.