I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2496 
To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to improve access to the 
children’s health insurance program (CHIP) by providing exemptions 
to CHIP eligibility waiting period requirements. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 19, 2009 
Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. TIM MURPHY 
of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to improve 
access to the children’s health insurance program 
(CHIP) by providing exemptions to CHIP eligibility wait-
ing period requirements. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Children’s Health In-
surance Accessibility Act of 2009’’. 
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SEC. 2. PREVENTING THE APPLICATION UNDER CHIP OF 
COVERAGE WAITING PERIODS TO CHILDREN 
WHO LOSE HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE, 
WHO ARE UNDER 2 YEARS OF AGE, OR FOR 
WHOM HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE IS 
UNAFFORDABLE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(b)(1) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397bb(b)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(B) in clause (iv), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(v) may not apply a waiting period 
(including a waiting period to carry out 
paragraph (3)(C)) in the case of a child 
described in subparagraph (C).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(C) DESCRIPTION
OF
CHILDREN
NOT 
SUBJECT TO WAITING PERIOD.—For purposes 
of this paragraph, a child described in this sub-
paragraph is a child who, on the date an appli-
cation is submitted for such child for child 
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health assistance under this title, meets any of 
the following requirements: 
‘‘(i) INFANTS
AND
TODDLERS.—The 
child is under two years of age. 
‘‘(ii) LOSS OF GROUP HEALTH PLAN 
COVERAGE.—The child previously had pri-
vate health insurance coverage through a 
group health plan or health insurance cov-
erage offered through an employer and lost 
such coverage due to— 
‘‘(I) termination of an individ-
ual’s employment; 
‘‘(II) a reduction in hours that 
an individual works for an employer; 
‘‘(III) elimination of an individ-
ual’s retiree health benefits; or 
‘‘(IV) termination of an individ-
ual’s group health plan or health in-
surance coverage offered through an 
employer. 
‘‘(iii) UNAFFORDABLE PRIVATE COV-
ERAGE.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The family of 
the child demonstrates that the cost 
of health insurance coverage (includ-
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ing the cost of premiums, co-pay-
ments, deductibles, and other cost 
sharing) for such family exceeds 10 
percent of the income of such family. 
‘‘(II) DETERMINATION OF FAM-
ILY
INCOME.—For purposes of sub-
clause (I), family income shall be de-
termined in the same manner speci-
fied by the State for purposes of de-
termining a child’s eligibility for child 
health assistance under this title.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect as of the date that is 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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