House tightens eligibility for PeachCare amid funding shortfall

ATLANTA - Georgia's House voted Tuesday to tighten eligibility for the PeachCare health insurance program for poor children.

Critics sayd the move will boost the number of uninsured children in the state.

The measure, sponsored by House Speaker Glenn Richardson, would lower the income eligibility for PeachCare beginning with those who enroll in June. Families would have to pay extra premiums for dental and vision coverage. The bill would also put new screening in place to weed out those in the country illegally. The bill passed by a vote of 101-to-63. It now moves to the Senate.

PeachCare has dominated the legislative session as lawmakers have wrestled with how to handle a 131 (m) million dollar shortfall in federal funding for the popular program. The Legislature took a two-week recess to see whether Washington would come through with additional cash to plug the PeachCare gap. The program covers 308-thousand Georgia children.

Richardson said the shortfall demonstrates that the program must slim down to remain viable for those who really need it.