THE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN: THE TIME FOR CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE IT IS NOW!

Abstract

The Children’s Health Insurance Plan (hereafter, “CHIP”) is a program designed to ensure children have access to high quality healthcare.  CHIP has been in the news recently because Congress failed to appropriate funding for the program in September of this year. The program requires reauthorization from Congress from time to time and does not have a permanent funding source like Medicare does.  Recently Congress has been embattled in political fights to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and now the push for tax reform (in reality: tax cuts for the wealthy), not to mention the controversies peppered in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government.  Congress, for various reasons, missed the reauthorization deadline of September 30th.  As a result, it is reported in the main stream media that 9 million kids, who get healthcare coverage through the program, will see their coverage lapse. This is an incredibly mind-numbing thing to have happened, even in the extraordinary and nonsensical times of our politics today.  Congress should act immediately to correct this grave error and reauthorize the program before 9 million vulnerable kids lose their access to affordable healthcare; inaction is not acceptable.