The League joined other groups calling on Congress to extend and fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Current funding for this program expires on September 30, 2017. Congress must act to provide high-quality, cost-effective coverage for low-income children and pregnant women in working families.
Statement of the National Children’s Health Community Urging Quick Bipartisan Action on a Strong, Five-Year Extension of Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program
September 6, 2017 As advocates for children and pregnant women, we call on Congress to take immediate action to enact a five-year extension of CHIP funding. Since its inception in 1997, CHIP, together with Medicaid, has helped to reduce the numbers of uninsured children by a remarkable 68 percent. With CHIP funding set to expire on September 30, 2017, now is the time for Congress to stabilize the CHIP funding stream and protect the gains in children’s health coverage that have resulted in more than 95 percent of all children in America being enrolled in some form of insurance coverage. CHIP has a proven track record of providing high-quality, cost-effective coverage for low-income children and pregnant women in working families. CHIP was a smart, bipartisan solution to a real problem facing American children and families when it was adopted in 1997 and its importance and impact in securing a healthy future for children in low-income families has only increased. Senators, representatives, and governors all recognize the importance of CHIP in providing affordable, pediatric-specific coverage to almost 9 million children who cannot afford private coverage or lack access to employer-based coverage. CHIP also delivers quality, affordable care to pregnant women in 19 states, allowing them to obtain the care they need to have healthy pregnancies and give birth to healthy infants. With federal CHIP funding set to end on September 30, 2017, states are facing critical decisions about the future of their CHIP programs. Many states are just weeks away from setting in motion processes to establish waiting lists and send out disenrollment notices to families. Once undertaken, these actions will have an immediate effect, creating chaos in program administration and confusion for families. Extending CHIP is particularly important in light of the ongoing debate on and uncertainty regarding the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, and the stability of the individual insurance markets. With state budgets already set for the coming year, states are counting on CHIP to continue in its current form. Changes to CHIP’s structure – including changes to the Maintenance of Effort or the enhanced CHIP matching rate – would cause significant disruption in children’s coverage and leave states with critical shortfalls in their budgets. Given CHIP’s track record of success, changes to CHIP that would cause harm to children must not be made.
Today, we stand united in urging Congress to honor CHIP’s 20 years of success by securing this critical source of coverage for children and pregnant women into the future. As Congress continues to work on larger health system reforms, a primary goal should be to improve health coverage for children, but at a minimum, no child should be left worse off. We urge our nation’s leaders to work together to enact a five-year extension of CHIP funding as an important opportunity for meaningful, bipartisan action.
Contact: Ari Goldberg, VP Communications, First Focus, 240-678-9102; [email protected]
#KeepKidsCovered #CHIPworks Endorsing Organizations 1,000 Days Academic Pediatric Association ADAP Advocacy Association (aaa+) AFSCME AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families Alliance for Strong Families and Communities America's Essential Hospitals American Academy of Family Physicians American Academy of Nursing American Academy of Ophthalmology American Academy of Pediatrics American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists American Dental Education Association American Heart Association American Lung Association American Muslim Health Professionals American Network of Oral Health Coalitions American Pediatric Society American Public Health Association American Society for Radiation Oncology American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum Association for Community Affiliated Plans Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Autism Speaks Cancer Support Community Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) Center for Popular Democracy Child Care Aware of America Child Welfare League of America Children and Family Futures Children's Brain Tumor Foundation Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy Children's Defense Fund Children's Dental Health Project Children's Health Fund Children's Hospital Association Children's Leadership Council Children's Mental Health Network Clearinghouse on Women's Issues Coalition on Human Needs Community Access National Network (CANN) Community Catalyst Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) Doctors for America Easterseals Every Child Matters Families USA Family Focused Treatment Association Family Voices First Focus First Star Institute Forum for Youth Investment Generations United Health Care for America Now Healthy Schools Campaign Healthy Teen Network Heart Rhythm Society HIV Medicine Association IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Justice in Aging League of Women Voters of the United States Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Make Some Noise: Cure Kids Cancer Foundation, Inc. March of Dimes Mental Health America NAACP NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds National Association for Children's Behavioral Health National Association of Community Health Centers National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities National Association of County Human Services Administrators National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners National Association of Perinatal Social Workers National Association of Social Workers National Black Women's HIV/AIDS Network National Center for Transgender Equality National Consumers League National Council of Jewish Women National Crittenton Foundation National Health Law Program National Immigration Law Center National Partnership for Women & Families National Patient Advocate Foundation National Respite Coalition National Women's Health Network Nemours Children's Health System NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice NMAC (National Minority AIDS Council) Nurse-Family Partnership Oral Health America Out2Enroll Partnership for America's Children Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Pediatric Policy Council Physicians for Reproductive Health Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need Religious Institute RESULTS School-Based Health Alliance Society for Pediatric Research Solving Kids' Cancer The Children's Partnership The Jewish Federations of North America The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society Trust for America's Health United Way Worldwide Universal Health Care Action Network Voices for Progress Young Invincibles ZERO TO THREE
Statement of the National Children’s Health Community Urging Quick Bipartisan Action on a Strong, Five-Year Extension of Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program
September 6, 2017 As advocates for children and pregnant women, we call on Congress to take immediate action to enact a five-year extension of CHIP funding. Since its inception in 1997, CHIP, together with Medicaid, has helped to reduce the numbers of uninsured children by a remarkable 68 percent. With CHIP funding set to expire on September 30, 2017, now is the time for Congress to stabilize the CHIP funding stream and protect the gains in children’s health coverage that have resulted in more than 95 percent of all children in America being enrolled in some form of insurance coverage. CHIP has a proven track record of providing high-quality, cost-effective coverage for low-income children and pregnant women in working families. CHIP was a smart, bipartisan solution to a real problem facing American children and families when it was adopted in 1997 and its importance and impact in securing a healthy future for children in low-income families has only increased. Senators, representatives, and governors all recognize the importance of CHIP in providing affordable, pediatric-specific coverage to almost 9 million children who cannot afford private coverage or lack access to employer-based coverage. CHIP also delivers quality, affordable care to pregnant women in 19 states, allowing them to obtain the care they need to have healthy pregnancies and give birth to healthy infants. With federal CHIP funding set to end on September 30, 2017, states are facing critical decisions about the future of their CHIP programs. Many states are just weeks away from setting in motion processes to establish waiting lists and send out disenrollment notices to families. Once undertaken, these actions will have an immediate effect, creating chaos in program administration and confusion for families. Extending CHIP is particularly important in light of the ongoing debate on and uncertainty regarding the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, and the stability of the individual insurance markets. With state budgets already set for the coming year, states are counting on CHIP to continue in its current form. Changes to CHIP’s structure – including changes to the Maintenance of Effort or the enhanced CHIP matching rate – would cause significant disruption in children’s coverage and leave states with critical shortfalls in their budgets. Given CHIP’s track record of success, changes to CHIP that would cause harm to children must not be made.
Today, we stand united in urging Congress to honor CHIP’s 20 years of success by securing this critical source of coverage for children and pregnant women into the future. As Congress continues to work on larger health system reforms, a primary goal should be to improve health coverage for children, but at a minimum, no child should be left worse off. We urge our nation’s leaders to work together to enact a five-year extension of CHIP funding as an important opportunity for meaningful, bipartisan action.
Contact: Ari Goldberg, VP Communications, First Focus, 240-678-9102; [email protected]
#KeepKidsCovered #CHIPworks Endorsing Organizations 1,000 Days Academic Pediatric Association ADAP Advocacy Association (aaa+) AFSCME AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families Alliance for Strong Families and Communities America's Essential Hospitals American Academy of Family Physicians American Academy of Nursing American Academy of Ophthalmology American Academy of Pediatrics American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists American Dental Education Association American Heart Association American Lung Association American Muslim Health Professionals American Network of Oral Health Coalitions American Pediatric Society American Public Health Association American Society for Radiation Oncology American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum Association for Community Affiliated Plans Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Autism Speaks Cancer Support Community Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) Center for Popular Democracy Child Care Aware of America Child Welfare League of America Children and Family Futures Children's Brain Tumor Foundation Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy Children's Defense Fund Children's Dental Health Project Children's Health Fund Children's Hospital Association Children's Leadership Council Children's Mental Health Network Clearinghouse on Women's Issues Coalition on Human Needs Community Access National Network (CANN) Community Catalyst Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) Doctors for America Easterseals Every Child Matters Families USA Family Focused Treatment Association Family Voices First Focus First Star Institute Forum for Youth Investment Generations United Health Care for America Now Healthy Schools Campaign Healthy Teen Network Heart Rhythm Society HIV Medicine Association IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Justice in Aging League of Women Voters of the United States Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Make Some Noise: Cure Kids Cancer Foundation, Inc. March of Dimes Mental Health America NAACP NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds National Association for Children's Behavioral Health National Association of Community Health Centers National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities National Association of County Human Services Administrators National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners National Association of Perinatal Social Workers National Association of Social Workers National Black Women's HIV/AIDS Network National Center for Transgender Equality National Consumers League National Council of Jewish Women National Crittenton Foundation National Health Law Program National Immigration Law Center National Partnership for Women & Families National Patient Advocate Foundation National Respite Coalition National Women's Health Network Nemours Children's Health System NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice NMAC (National Minority AIDS Council) Nurse-Family Partnership Oral Health America Out2Enroll Partnership for America's Children Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Pediatric Policy Council Physicians for Reproductive Health Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need Religious Institute RESULTS School-Based Health Alliance Society for Pediatric Research Solving Kids' Cancer The Children's Partnership The Jewish Federations of North America The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society Trust for America's Health United Way Worldwide Universal Health Care Action Network Voices for Progress Young Invincibles ZERO TO THREE
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