New Hampshire and New York are among the eight states pursuing a legal challenge to a change in eligibility requirements that would block expansion for a popular program for children’s health insurance.
Besides New York and New Hampshire, Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington are joining in the litigation as plaintiffs or by filing briefs.
The states object to rules issued by the Bush administration in August that make it harder for them to provide coverage to children in middle-income families by limiting the total income of families who participate.
The states accuse the administration of overstepping the federal government’s authority to set income limits for participants in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.