While not as riveting as the latest gossip on the White House “party crashers,” the Senate began debate this week on its health reform bill. We have developed a fact sheet of the bill’s key Medicaid, CHIP, and low-income provisions to help you navigate and understand where things stand for children and families.

Over the coming days, the Senate is expected to take up a number of amendments addressing the issues of interest. Most recently, Senator Casey introduced an amendment that would make a number of enhancements to CHIP (which is maintained in the Senate bill). These include providing full funding for the program through 2019, requiring states to cover children in CHIP up to at least 250% of the federal poverty level and providing EPSDT coverage to children in CHIP.

We will keep you posted as key amendments related to Medicaid and CHIP are introduced and move forward. In the meantime, a new report by Families USA provides a good overview of what issues are expected to arise.