As part of House Bill 133, the Utah Legislature's health reform law, the state Department of Health is asking for a waiver from the federal Children's Health Insurance Program that would mean significant changes to coverage under both CHIP and Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance.

Two of the changes are potentially devastating to low-income families, the very ones CHIP and UPP are meant to help.

The most troublesome provision would block children from enrolling in CHIP if their parents are insured under UPP. The latter program helps pay premiums on private health insurance, but even with the taxpayer-funded subsidy, some working parents are unable to pay the deductibles and co-pays required by the private insurer. That could mean children insured through UPP might not get the health care they need.

CHIP, on the other hand, is designed to cover the health-care needs unique to children, including infant care and specialized care for long-term disabilities such as cerebral palsy and conditions linked to prematurity. And it has proven to be efficient and cost-effective, with a 5 percent out-of-pocket limit that is absent under UPP.

The rule change would deny more children CHIP coverage but would not provide them a comparable alternative, and it would be costlier for taxpayers, since CHIP coverage, on average, costs 30 percent less than private coverage.

HB133 is also especially hard on lower-income children, those whose family income is under 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. They would be forced onto private plans through UPP while children living at 150 to 200 percent of the poverty level could choose CHIP or UPP.

Another provision would force all families who drop private health coverage in order to be eligible for CHIP or UPP to remain uninsured for six months before enrolling in CHIP or UPP. That would erase the safety net for struggling families who couldn't afford the premiums, let alone the full cost of health care.

Health care in Utah should not be reformed on the backs of the poor. These provisions should be dropped.