In the lingering recession, Loudoun residents tighten their belts and learn to do without.

Sometimes this means selling the extra car, or settling for cheaper groceries. But recent proposed budget cuts from the Virginia House of Delegates mean many uninsured Loudoun children might have to forgo going to the doctor.

Many of them will run the risk of landing in the emergency room with no health-care coverage.

“These are children that really can’t wait for health coverage,” said Jill Hanken, staff attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center. “The cost of providing health insurance is far less than the cost of these children in emergency rooms.”

The proposed House budget includes a $35 million cut to the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan. The program, known as FAMIS, covers uninsured children and pregnant women whose income level is not low enough for Medicaid. The cut would be applied over two years.

This proposed legislation would shift the required income level from 200 percent of poverty to 175 percent of poverty for families to be eligible for FAMIS.

“Right now for a family of three, 200 percent is about $3,000 of gross income for one month before you take any deductions. This cut would reduce it to about $2,600 a month. That’s a very low income level compared to other states,” Hanken said. The only state with a lower required income level is North Dakota.

This new income cutoff level applies to all counties in the state, regardless of the cost of living. The cost of living in Loudoun County is among the highest in the nation. Rent here can easily take more than half of the new $2,600 income cutoff level, as most townhouses rent for at least $1,500 a month.

Since FAMIS also receives federal matching funds, a loss of $35 million from the state also means a loss of about $65 million from the federal government. This means that over the next two years, about 30,000 Virginia children would no longer be eligible for FAMIS.

Jill Christiansen, program manager for Inova Health System’s Partnership for Healthier Kids, said this measure would put more pressure on local health-care providers and could strain emergency rooms.

Inova’s partnership is a school-based program serving schools in Loudoun County, the City of Fairfax and Alexandria. It works to get uninsured children health-care services from providers like Medicaid, FAMIS and local centers.

Christiansen said many of the families applying for help from FAMIS are working families whose primary insurance provider was temporarily out of a job.

“It’s sad to see these families struggling to make it, especially in our area where everything is expensive,” Christiansen said. “It’s sad that the children in these situations will have to go without health care.”