Hearing spotlights funding shortfall and wait list for DC’s Health Care for Child Care program

Councilmember Christina Henderson, chair of the Committee on Health, convened a Jan. 29 hearing on the FY24 performance of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (HBX), focusing in large part on Health Care for Child Care, a program funded through the Pay Equity Fund that helps early childhood educators obtain health insurance.

The program matters to thousands of early educators and to small child-care businesses, witnesses told the council. “The Health Exchange recently instituted a wait list for new child care facilities enrollment and Health Care for Child Care coverage due to insufficient funding,” said Anne Gunderson, senior policy analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, adding that HBX previously enrolled 79% of eligible child-care facilities but that almost 60 facilities remain without access unless additional funds become available.

HBX Executive Director Mila Kaufman told the committee the program had 1,967 people enrolled and covered 220 facilities as of her testimony, and that HBX set its policy to limit new enrollments beginning Jan. 1 after input from an advisory council. Kaufman said HBX has…