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Utah's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is celebrating a milestone today -- a decade covering tens of thousands of kids.
In the 10 years it's been up and running, CHIP has provided insurance to more than 130,000 Utah children, but not all kids who could be covered by the government program, are.
One recent high-profile case of a child without health insurance is that of 11-year-old Bridger Hunt. He was injured by a neighbor's homemade explosive device July 24. His family had no insurance to cover the massive medical bills and have held fundraisers since the accident.
At the CHIP celebration today, organizers weren't able to talk about Hunt's exact situation but say it's an excellent reminder to families to check and see if they are eligible for the program. Kids who meet age and income requirements get coverage on everything from regular checkups to emergency room care. To parents, it's a load off their minds.
Kim Henage,a CHIP recipient, said, "Even though we were out there working, my husband and I were trying to get permanent employment and making a go of it. It was for the people in the middle and those people need help to and that was us."
At today's celebration, kids who have benefited from the program got their faces painted and shared cake with Gov. Jon Huntsman.
To find out if you're eligible and to apply for CHIP, click on the related link to the right of this story.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
