Editorial: Using sick children to cut the deficit

Herald Tribune

The president and his budget director propose to rescind $15 billion in expenditures authorized by Congress — including $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program — in order to ensure the federal government “spends precious taxpayer dollars in the most efficient, effective manner possible.”

Part of the funding targeted for “rescission” would come from the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund, which Joan Alker, an expert in children’s access to health care, described as a “rainy day fund.” It is designed to prevent states, which administer CHIP, from running out of money in the event of increased enrollment, according to Alker. The other share represents dollars that have been budgeted but not yet expended; in the past, Congress has allowed these funds to be used for other worthwhile programs that aid children and families.

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