FLINT, Mich. (AP) – An additional 15,000 children and pregnant women grappling with Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis should become eligible for government health insurance starting next week, once the funding receives final legislative approval, Gov. Rick Snyder said Monday.
The expanded health coverage will apply to people under 21 who used Flint’s water system from April 2014, when the city switched its water source, until the time it is deemed safe again. It also will cover women who were pregnant or become pregnant between early March and the safety declaration. They would remain eligible until age 21 or, if pregnant, until two months after their child is born.
“That’s another major step forward,” Snyder said of treating those who may have been exposed to lead while drinking the improperly treated water for at least 18 months. Lead can cause developmental delays, learning disabilities and health problems.
The Republican governor, who has apologized for failures that created the disaster, also said Monday that he has formally asked for a meeting with President Barack Obama when the president visits Flint on Wednesday. He disputed an earlier report that he was too busy, saying that he had said last week that he had a full schedule because he did not want to confirm Obama’s trip before it was officially announced by the White House.
Obama, whom Snyder will greet at the airport, is expected to speak at a high school, receive a briefing on the federal effort to assist in the response and hear directly from Flint residents about the toll the contamination has had on their health and their lives. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday that the details of the visit were still being planned, but he noted that Snyder’s schedule “got a little freed up” and “we’ll keep you posted on what sort of interactions they may have.”