CNBC

By: Dan Mangan

Congress already blew one deadline for reauthorizing the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. Now it’s trying to not blow through another looming one.

Two committees — one in the Senate, the other in the House — are set Wednesday to begin marking up bills that would continue funding for CHIP.

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“On November 1, we’re going to start seeing some very serious consequences for a number of states,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. “They really have to get this done within the next few weeks.”
Alker said “it’s unfortunate” that Congress “is acting so late that they have to move everything so quickly” on bills that would continue to fund CHIP.

But, Alker also said “we’re encouraged” by the introduction of the House’s Energy and Commerce bill on Monday night that would extend CHIP.

“This is some good news,” she said.

Alker noted that the overall policy goal in that bill “very closely mirrors the bipartisan agreement within the Senate” on CHIP funding.

Alker said, “To get CHIP done quickly, which needs to happen, [Congress] needs bipartisan agreement.”

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Alker said when asked if she expected a bill to be passed relatively soon.

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