Sen. Donnelly Pushes Again for CHIP Reauthorization

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- The office of Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, issued the following statement in his continued push for the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Donnelly supports the Keep Kids' Insurance Dependable and Secure (KIDS) Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which expired on September 30. If the program is not reauthorized, children on CHIP would lose insurance throughout 2018 as states are unable to support the program.

"I've long supported the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care for millions of kids, including nearly 115,000 Hoosier children. Congress must act now because otherwise these children are at risk of losing access to health care."

CHIP was established in 1997 to provide health insurance for children and pregnant women with income that is just above Medicaid eligibility levels. There are 8.9 million children across the U.S. who currently have health insurance coverage through CHIP.