Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) last week introduced a bill (HR 6506) that would require all states to submit annual reports on SCHIP enrollment, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Under the bill, states would be required to disclose the number of children that received a primary care visit through SCHIP. In addition, states would be required to provide information about their efforts to expand health care to more uninsured children. The legislation also aims to encourage states to conduct surveys of parents to determine if their children are receiving adequate and efficient care.
In a press release, Boustany said, "My bill begins to gather data on the success of SCHIP nationally in accomplishing its goal." He added, "Knowing the program is working is the first step to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent in a responsible way." A spokesperson for Boustany said that while the bill currently does not have any co-sponsors, they expect support of the bill from a "pretty bipartisan group" of lawmakers and congressional leaders (Parnass, CQ HealthBeat, 7/18).