BY MEGHAN V. MALLOY

Staff Writer

A nonprofit organization committed to accessible health care for all Americans named Maine in a study released Thursday that focuses on the future of Medicaid.

The same group, however, lauded many states -- including Maine -- for pulling their resources together to cover children in low-income households.

Families USA, a Washington D.C.-based nonpartisan nonprofit group, said increased enrollment fees to receive services from MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, may hinder families who live above the federal poverty line but still live on less than $30,000 a year.

Rebecca Bruno, a health policy analyst for Families USA, said Maine made cuts in who is eligible for MaineCare, increased program enrollment fees and restricted access to "durable medical equipment" such as speech communication devices.

"Cutting programs like Medicaid during a recession only causes more damage, especially to states on shaky ground," Bruno said.

The study specifically cited the state's decision to implement a MaineCare enrollment fee of $25 per parent in households living 150 percent above the federal poverty line.

Annual income for a family of three living 150 percent over the poverty level is $26,200.

With tough financial times -- including rising home foreclosure and soaring fuel prices -- officials from Families USA believe the enrollment fee is too much of a financial sacrifice.

"There is a lot of uncertainty out there," said Rachel Klein, Families USA's deputy director of health policy. "And we could very well see states who will start to cut (from health care programs) to fill their budgets."

On the flip side of the coin, Maine, as well as many other states, are committing time and resources to insuring children, even in the wake of twice-vetoed legislation that would have provided more federal funding toward child health care programs.

Several states, including Iowa, Montana and Colorado are continuing to expand children's health care coverage, while others, such as New York and Wisconsin, are using state funding to finance coverage expansions.

In Maine, 14,000 children are enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The programs vary only in the percentage a family's income level is above the federal poverty line; children in households up 150 percent above the poverty line are eligible for CHIP and children in households between 150 and 200 percent above the poverty line are eligible for SCHIP.

Brenda Harvey, commissioner of the state's Department of Health and Human Services, said the state has been able to reach out to 90 percent of Maine's eligible children, though an estimated 11,000 who could be enrolled in the health care assistance programs are not.

"We would like that number to be smaller, of course," Harvey said. "But we have done a good job reaching out to these kids."

In fiscal 2008, $33 million was used to fund both CHIP and SCHIP, Harvey said.

Despite reports of states pulling together resources to insure children, Sullivan said the actions of the Bush administration, which twice-vetoed the CHIP reauthorization despite being passed by Congress, speak for themselves.

"It's a question of priorities, plain and simple," Sullivan said. "It was vetoed by (President George W.) Bush twice, and I think that shows where priorities lie."

Meghan V. Malloy -- 623-3811 Ext. 431

mmalloy@centralmaine.com