Sen. Menendez Introduces Bipartisan KIDS Act to Reauthorize CHIP

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The office of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., issued the following news release:

Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, today joined Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to introduce the Keeping Kids' Insurance Dependable and Secure (KIDS) Act (S. 1827) to extend funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program for five years. The bipartisan compromise would also transition CHIP to its traditional federal-state partnership and provide low-income children with additional protections.

"More than 230,000 children across New Jersey depend on CHIP's support for NJ FamilyCare, which covers everything from routine check-ups and vaccines to behavioral health and dental care," said Sen. Menendez. "Our future is brighter when every child across America has access to the health care they need to thrive in school and pursue their dreams, and CHIP plays an integral role in preventing kids from low-income families from falling through the cracks. I'm pleased to join my colleagues on the Finance Committee to introduce this bipartisan bill, and hope that the Senate acts swiftly to pass the KIDS Act before it expires on September 30."

The Keeping Kids' Insurance Dependable and Secure (KIDS) Act would:

* Extend CHIP funding through fiscal year (FY) 2022;

* Maintain federal matching rate at current statutory levels through FY 2019, change to 11.5 percent for FY 2020, and return to a traditional CHIP matching rate for fiscal years 2021 and 2022; and

* Create protections and flexibility under the maintenance-of-effort provision.

The Senate Finance Committee, the committee with the largest jurisdiction in either House of Congress, oversees more than 50 percent of the federal budget and has jurisdiction over large portions of the American healthcare system, including Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP.