State Sen. Mike Stack today urged parents whose children are covered under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to take advantage of the program’s replacement policy if eyeglasses are damaged or lost.

“There is no such thing as an accident-proof child,” Stack said. “With school scheduled to begin again in a few weeks, parents should get some peace of mind knowing that lost or damaged eyeglasses can be replaced through their insurance.”

After hearing from parents that eyeglass replacement was not being covered by their CHIP insurance providers, Stack contacted state insurance officials and worked with Общественные граждане для детей и молодежи (PCCY), a health advocacy group.

In a letter to Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine, Stack urged the department to ensure coverage of replacement glasses.

“Without replacement eyeglasses students may struggle with daily activities, they may not be able to safely cross a street, and their academics may suffer if they cannot read a book or see the whiteboard at their school,” he wrote. “Pennsylvania’s children will benefit not only physically, but academically through the addition of the vision program to CHIP.”

In response, state insurance officials contacted all CHIP insurance providers telling them to cover at least one pair of replacement eyeglasses.

“This is a big victory for children because it means they’ll do better in school,” said Colleen McCauley, PCCY’s health policy director. “It also demonstrates that when PCCY sets out to improve conditions for children, we can successfully change state policy.

Penns News – August 11, 2014 – Читать статью онлайн