Congress will be back in Washington for their “lame duck” session
soon and they have a LOT to do before the end of the year. First things first,
let's ask them to attend to the needs of our children!
Join other faith leaders and advocates who are coming
together to urge
Congress to pass for a four-year extension to the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) during the Lame Duck session. This extension will
stabilize the program and ensure that states can continue to operate their
programs without interruption.
What is CHIP?
Since its inception in the 1990s, The Children's Health
Insurance Program has provided health coverage to nearly eight million children
in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to
afford private coverage. This vital legislation has cut the uninsured rate for
children in half. Funding for this program is set to expire next year on the
assumption that most beneficiaries will be able to get subsidized private
coverage through the insurance marketplaces, which some speculate may not be
possible. We need to allow more time for
the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) to fill in the coverage gaps and ensure
that all these kids have coverage before cutting off the program.
Why do we need such a
long extension right now?
States are currently in the process of developing their 2015
budgets and negotiating contracts with insurers and providers. They need to
know that the federal support for CHIP will exist beyond 2015. If funding is not stabilized, states will
have to make drastic program cuts through enrollment caps, benefit reductions,
reductions in eligibility, or provider payments. The millions of children
enrolled in CHIP would be at risk and many will have no other coverage option
available to them.
What does the PC(USA)
say?
In 2002, the 214th General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) advocated for adequate funding for CHIP so that health
coverage would be available for all children, urged the expansion of CHIP to
cover parents and caregivers (because we know kids are more like to see a
doctor if their caregivers also have coverage), and finally urged Congress to
“recognize the importance of universal health care – that is, equal,
accessible, affordable, and high-quality health care for all persons residing
in our nation.”
Learn more about CHIP from the Children’s
Defense Fund.
The PC(USA) recently joined a broad-spectrum of 1,200
organizations in making
this request to Congress. Join us as we move into the lame duck session.
