Authorities in North Dakota have some of the country’s toughest requirements for children’s health insurance, a fact that some in the state are trying to change, according to the Associated Press.
One county social services director, Bryan Quigley, told the AP the state could be more generous in the resources it allocates to helping its less fortunate.
“I come from an oil county, and there’s lots of money out there. I think we can afford to spend, and share, just a little bit of that wealth insuring a few more children,” he says.
According to the news agency, one proposal would increase the minimum income levels required to qualify for aid from 160 percent of the federal poverty limit to 250 percent. This would mean that a family of four making less than $55,125 per year would be eligible for assistance.
A previous attempt to raise those minimums from Governor John Hoeven two years ago was blocked by the Republican-controlled legislature.
