10/1/2017
CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) is one of the few programs left in Congress that is considered truly bipartisan. It was originally co-sponsored by Orrin Hatch, a Republican, and the late Ted Kennedy.
CHIP covers the health insurance needs for 9 million US children. Senators Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden introduced their bipartisan legislation to reauthorize CHIP, which would extend the program for five more years. Unfortunately, the deadline to re-authorize funding expired September 30th, without a vote coming to the floor of congress.
Most Democrats and Republicans agree that the program is a successful one. A huge majority of Americans—75 percent—polled by the Kaiser Family Foundationsaid that they thought it was “extremely” or “very” important to reauthorize CHIP before its funding ran out. Only 47 percent said the same about repealing and replacing Obamacare. As recently as a few weeks ago, GOP lawmakers celebrated CHIP’s achievements, swore to support it and even held it up as an example of a successful partnership between the federal government and states.
Though current authorization for spending has expired, states can use some of their unspent federal funding to continue their programs. Several states are expected to run out of money before the end of 2017, and most of the rest will run out by next summer. CHIP has been in this fix only one other time since it was established in 1997. In 2007, CHIP went weeks without funding authorization from Congress.
Utah has notified the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it plans to discontinue its CHIP program by the end of the year unless it receives more federal money. About 19,000 children are in the state’s CHIP program. Unless additional funding comes through soon, thousands and then million of children will be left uninsured.
As it stands now, it appears many in congress are happy to see our nation’s health insurance programs die.
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