MedPage Today

By Shannon Firth

WASHINGTON — Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is slated to expire on Sept. 30, giving Congress a tight deadline to renew the popular program — and also an opportunity to hang other less-popular pieces of legislation onto what is widely seen as a “must-pass” bill.

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If a CHIP extension isn’t passed by Sept. 30, the impact would depend on how much CHIP funding states still have available, said Kelly Whitener, JD, MPH, of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families… Some states are also required to send notices 30-90 days in advance if families are expected to lose coverage, and they might also freeze enrollment to protect current beneficiaries, Whitener said. “It can’t just be flipped on and off like a switch.”

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