Media Coverage
-
CHIP: What to know about the Children’s Health Insurance Program
Fox News By: Kaitlyn Schallorn Funding for a health insurance program for children has become front and center as lawmakers struggle to keep the government open. The federal funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired at the end of September, and a permanent solution has not been passed. As state funding for the…
-
Children’s Health Insurance Program About to Get Long-Term Extension
Bloomberg Politics By: Ivan Levingston The Children’s Health Insurance Program is poised to end its time in limbo after the Senate voted to end a three-day government shutdown. The Senate is set to vote on a spending bill that includes a six-year extension of the program, after reaching deal to end a standoff that led…
-
CHIP Renewed For Six Years As Congress Votes To Reopen Federal Government
Kaiser Health News By: Julie Rovner A brief, partial shutdown of the federal government ended Monday, as the Senate and House approved legislation that would keep federal dollars flowing until Feb. 8, as well as fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program for the next six years. President Donald Trump signed the bill Monday evening. The…
-
Short-term spending agreement provides longer-term relief for CHIP
Washington Post By: Amy Goldstein The short-term spending plan allowing the government to reopen solves a funding crisis in a public health insurance program for children of working-class families that is popular with Republicans and Democrats alike, but has been ensnared for months in partisan budget fights. … Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s…
-
The government is still shut down and CHIP is still unfunded
Vox By: Dylan Scott Democrats and Republicans have so far failed to find an agreement to reopen the federal government, and as a result, the Children’s Health Insurance Program is still without long-term funding. … “The inexcusable delays in extending CHIP … have brought us to a moment now when the CHIP debate no longer…
-
Without CHIP resolution, 1.7 million kids could lose healthcare in weeks
NBC News By: PHIL MCCAUSLAND More than 1.75 million children in 20 states and Washington, D.C., are at risk of losing their health insurance by the end of February if Congress does not reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which ceased being funded when lawmakers failed to pass a spending bill late Friday night. … “There…
-
Children’s Health Insurance Program Becomes Political Football
National Catholic Register By: Brian Fraga The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a popular government benefit supported by Democrats and Republicans alike, is seen by many analysts as a cost-effective way to provide health coverage for children whose parents cannot afford private insurance. But CHIP’s federal funding is in limbo because the program is getting…
-
As January CHIP deadline looms, 1.7M kids at risk
Healthcare Finance By: Beth Jones Sanborn A new report from Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families is lending new urgency to the need for Congress to pass lasting CHIP funding before the end of January. The January 2018 update to the Center’s “When Will States Run Out of Federal CHIP Funds” report said that if Congress doesn’t…
-
Kentucky’s new obstacles to Medicaid coverage are crueler than you could imagine
Los Angeles Times By: Michael Hiltzik One can say this about the hoops Kentucky will require low-income residents to jump through to become eligible for Medicaid: If you were deliberately trying to come up with ways to throw people off the program, you couldn’t do better. It’s been widely reported that the “waiver” of Medicaid…
-
When States Make It Harder to Enroll, Even Eligible People Drop Medicaid
New York Times By: Margot Sanger-Katz In 2003, Washington State was facing a budget crisis and wanted to reduce spending on Medicaid. Instead of requiring people to establish their eligibility annually, the legislature began requiring them to do so twice a year, and added some paperwork. It worked: Enrollment in the health insurance program fell…
-
Children’s health insurance has become a political hostage
Vox By: Dylan Scott The Children’s Health Insurance Program is enduring an unprecedented crisis: More than 100 ago, funding for a program that covers 9 million kids technically expired. Republicans in Congress haven’t rushed to extend it long-term — not until they could get something in return. … “The inexcusable delays in extending CHIP ……
-
Work Requirements May Be Just the Beginning of Medicaid Changes Under Trump
Governing By: Mattie Quinn After months of speculation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opened the door on Thursday for states to require some low-income people to work in order to qualify for government-sponsored health insurance. … “When you take all of these things together, it takes away from what the ACA [Affordable…
-
CHIP Funding: Deal Close To Keep Health Care For 9 Million Kids
White House Patch By: Colin Miner Congress is close to a deal renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program for at least another six years. Under pressure from the states and buoyed by an assessment from the Congressional Budget Office that renewing for at least six years actually saves the government money, Congressional officials say that…
-
Scramble Is On To Care For Kids If Insurance Coverage Lapses
NPR By: Phil Galewitz Dr. Mahendra Patel, a pediatric cancer doctor, has begun giving away medications to some of his young patients, determined not to disrupt their treatments for serious illnesses like leukemia. He’s worried Congress will fail to renew funding soon for a health program that pays for the care of millions of children…
-
When Will CHIP Funding Run Out? Millions of Children Could Lose Health Care Coverage Over Congress Delays
Newsweek By: Linley Sanders Marion Burgess’ has lived her 10 months of life in limbo. She was born last year on Valentine’s Day in Portland, Oregon, with a 6-by-7-millimeter hole in her heart. It will either heal itself, or she will need open heart surgery—only time will tell. Her family’s hope for funding medical care…
-
Why CHIP is so essential for American kids, explained by 3 charts and 1 family’s story
Vox By: Dylan Scott There have been rumblings late this week that Congress might finally pull together and extend CHIP for the long term, especially once a Congressional Budget Office report showed it would be effectively cost-free to fund the program for the next 10 years. … Several states, including Connecticut and Colorado, have notified…
-
Scramble Is On To Care For Kids If Insurance Coverage Lapses
NPR By: Phil Galewitz Dr. Mahendra Patel, a pediatric cancer doctor, has begun giving away medications to some of his young patients, determined not to disrupt their treatments for serious illnesses like leukemia. He’s worried Congress will fail to renew funding soon for a health program that pays for the care of millions of children…
-
Experts Side-Eye New Green Light On Medicaid Work Requirement
Indiana Public Media By: Jake Harper and Samantha Horton The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced it will support state policies that require people to work for their Medicaid coverage. Ten states —including Indiana and Kentucky — have submitted proposals to add a so-called work requirement to their Medicaid plans. … Additionally,…
-
The Republican tax law will likely save the government billions on a crucial child healthcare program — but Congress still can’t make a deal on it
Business Insider By: Brennan Weiss Time is running out yet again for Congress to agree on a long-term solution for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a bipartisan measure that insures close to 9 million children and pregnant women across the US. … “The new CBO score is great news because a major sticking point…
-
Trump Administration Decides That The Key To Making You Healthier Is Taking Your Medicaid
Mother Jones By: Noah Lanard The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it will support work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries for the first time in the program’s history. Its justification: cutting insurance for low-income Americans who don’t work will improve their health. … Joan Alker, the executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and…