EDITORIAL: Congress’ inaction puts health plan for kids in jeopardy
But in a separate example of political malpractice, the
Federal funding for the
CHIP, as the program is commonly known, is a genuine success story. Enacted in 1997, with bipartisan support and participation from all 50 states and the
The program provides federal matching funds to states that offer health insurance for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to purchase coverage of their own. In 11 poorer states, the federal government picks up the full cost.
CHIP covers routine preventive care such as checkups, immunizations, doctor visits, prescriptions and dental and vision care. It also covers outpatient hospital and emergency care. Some participants pay premiums as well as co-payments for certain services.
In most states, children are eligible if their families earn less than double the federal poverty level, which is
Ten states, including
By all appearances, the CHIP reauthorization is collateral damage in the
Sens.
After that display of political ineptitude,
Many of them are counting on a tax bill that's already proving to be controversial. They might have better luck renewing the CHIP program, which costs about
Unlike tax cuts for the wealthy, that would provide real results for working families. Healthier kids spend more time in school, and their parents miss less time at work.
A
That's good news. Allowing this program to expire was a mistake, and
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