9M Kids' Health Insurance At Risk As Congress Lets CHIP Expire

WASHINGTON, DC — As Republicans scrambled for one last-ditch attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare before the Sept. 30 deadline, a vital program that provides health care coverage for millions of kids across the country has come to the brink of expiration. Funding for CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, will start to run dry on Oct. 1 if Congress doesn't act — and it is increasingly looking like it won't.

"Congressional inaction has led to a probable lapse in federal CHIP funding at the end of this month," the National Governor's Association, which has members of both parties, said in a statement. "As a nation that takes care of our children, this is unacceptable."

Since it was enacted in the '90s, the program has dramatically reduced the uninsured rate of children from 14.9 percent to 4.8 percent, the group pointed out. It offers insurance to about 9 million children of lower-income families that wouldn't otherwise be covered by Medicaid. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

According to Joan Alker, the executive director of the research group Center for Children and Families at Georgetown university, 25 percent of kids who receive health insurance through CHIP have special needs.

“Congress must not wait any longer to renew CHIP and act to stabilize the nation’s health insurance markets," the NGA said.

Each state runs a version of the program with significant financial help from the federal government. After the program expires over the weekend, the children's plans won't end immediately, as the states can use provisional measures to temporarily continue funding. However, if CHIP fails to get renewed, states may start cutting off the insurance for the children supported by the program.

The Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit child welfare advocacy group, urged lawmakers to reauthorize the program.

"CHF encourages Congress to come together and quickly ensure that both CHIP and Community Health Centers are fully funded and continue to serve children and families in need," said CEO of the group Dennis Walto.

Sens. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, and Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, have worked together on an effort to extend the program for five years. However, they have not yet found the funding for the program, and there's very little time left before the deadline for them to work out and actual deal and pass it.

"The CHIP deadline will come and go without Congressional action to extend funding, which is very disappointing," said Kelly Whitener from the Center for Children and Families. "There had been strong, bipartisan progress on CHIP but it was derailed by Graham-Cassidy. Instead of working together to make health care stronger for children, Congress wasted time trying to take coverage away from people, and now states and children and their families have to deal with the consequences."

She continued: "I do think Congress will get around to funding CHIP — it's a program that serves almost 9 million children across the country and it has enjoyed bipartisan support. But Congress cannot continue to delay action on CHIP and think that there won't be consequences."

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