Congressional Quarterly

The Children’s Health Insurance Program’s funding deadline looms at the end of next month, but advocacy groups are worried that reauthorization won’t be addressed until funding is fully exhausted later in the year.

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“There is a false sense that Congress has more time to act,” said Elisabeth Wright Burak, senior program director and research faculty at the Georgetown Center for Children and Families. “Because states administer the program, they need quite a bit of lead time to let families know if the program is going away.”

“States with separate CHIP have a choice to make. They can put those kids in Medicaid or shut down the program,” said Wright Burak.