File photo
Credit: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Elvis Umanzor
With the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in limbo, a group of bi-partisan governors urged Congress this week to reauthorize the program.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf joined other 11 governors in pushing Congress to continue funding the program that benefits 9 million children across the country, 370,000 pregnant women annually and 180,000 kids in the Keystone State.
“In the absence of Congressional action, we have worked to protect coverage for children and pregnant women in each of our states, but we will need federal support to continue the program. Resources are nearly exhausted, and some states already have begun to inform families that their children’s coverage may end on January 31,” Wolf said.
The program that helps keep kids from lower- and middle-income families insured is funded with a mix of federal and state funds. However, 90 percent of the cost is covered by federal dollars.
CHIP has been popular with Democrats and Republicans over the past two decades, but there is a roadblock of how to fund the program moving forward.
Although CHIP has always had broad bipartisan support, the House and Senate cannot agree on how to continue federal funding.
If federal funding for CHIP does not come through, those enrolled with receive notice from the state 30 days before the cut-off date.
Pennsylvania will mark the 25th anniversary of its CHIP program this Sunday. The Pennsylvania program was a model for the federal program.
Wolf joined Democratic and Republican governors from Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Nevada, Massachusetts, Montana, Minnesota, Ohio, Vermont and Virginia.
